A one-stop guide to help food and drink manufacturers design vocational qualifications for their staff has been launched on-line.
The launch of the 'Pick Your Mix' interactive tool coincides with the introduction of a new framework for National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (N/SVQs), which aims to make the qualifications more relevant to the workplace.
The guide matches brief descriptions of job roles to the most suitable options available, suggesting a programme of learning designed to meet the skills demands of the job.
Jack Matthews, chief executive of Sector Skills Council Improve, says the new system will make it easier for employers to plan and provide training, helping them access government funding available for vocational qualifications and boost the performance of their staff.
He said: "Ultimately, this is all about improving the skills of the workforce and increasing profits by raising performance. One in five employers in the sector reports skills gaps in their workforce and yet fewer than one in ten have put any employees through a scheme leading to a nationally-recognised qualification in the past year.
"There is money available to encourage employers to put their staff through qualification schemes; our aim in reforming the N/SVQ framework has been to make those schemes more accessible and to give employers more freedom and more choice. All the tools needed for an employer to tailor the qualifications to their own needs are ready and waiting in a convenient, easy-to-get-to place."
Pick Your Mix is hosted on the Improve website www.improveltd.co.uk.
