What’s it all about then?

As a Trainer working in Food manufacturing you’ll deliver a variety of programmes for your employer which will benefit both the company and its employees.

As the industry is highly legislated there is an ongoing need to ensure that staff are all equipped with an induction programme that provides them with food safety, health and safety and also possibly HACCP awareness training.

What might I be doing?

The requirements of the job of trainer in food manufacture mean that you will likely be a specialist in a particular area but the following responsibilities are generic:

• Organising and delivering induction sessions for new employees
• Arranging on the job training for employees
• Developing employee training and development plans in accordance with agreed company development strategy
• Assessing and evaluating training benefits to the company
• Providing post training follow up for employees.
• Ensuring that training programmes remain relevant and up to date and offer value for money for the business
• Producing materials for in-house courses and programmes
• Liaising with other departments to understand their needs and requirements for training
• Updating all programmes to meet both best practice and also changing legislative requirements.
• Researching new technologies and methodologies in workplace learning and implementing as required

What will be expected of me?

As a trainer you will have specialist knowledge in a number of specific areas related to food safety coupled with the proven ability and qualifications which enable you to design and deliver training programmes to company employees.

Naturally you’ll have highly developed people skills and be able to present new ideas and suggestions to training managers.

Your time management skills will need to be excellent to ensure that the training you deliver is within specific time limits whilst remaining effective.

Your expertise in your specialism needs to be second to none because you can expect people to ask questions during your training delivery.

What can I expect?

If you work for a company that is involved with shift work you may be expected to spend a lot of time working during the evening or night or even weekends. You may even be based on shifts for a period of time whilst you deliver a programme or conduct on the job appraisals etc.

If your company has more than one site you can expect some travel; this might depend on what exactly your training specialism is – you could be the single company expert of one of a number of trainers.

What about the pay?

Depending on experience and the food sub-sector in which you are employed, you will earn between £15,000 and £20,000 and this will increase with seniority and promotion.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

Many trainers in the food manufacturing sector have developed their skills on the factory floor and then moved into a training role. So, for training jobs in butchery skills for instance, on the job qualifications such as NVQs will be useful.

To deliver accredited training you will have to have the likes of an Advanced Food Safety certificate or a NEBOSH Health and Safety certificate, and these are then complemented with a professional training qualification.

Of course you might start your career as a graduate, in which case a degree in a food related or business subject might be useful.

What about further training?

Although a postgraduate qualification is not necessary, a Masters degree or diploma recognised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) will improve your career prospects

Specialisation in training and development often follows general personnel experience, and new graduates are not always recruited straight into a training role. It is also fairly common to work your way up from roles such as assistant training officer or administration assistant.

Additionally, while membership of the CIPD is not essential, it is often valued by employers.

For a trainer there are a number of highly specialist courses available which cover the areas of both Food Safety and Health & Safety.

Anything else I might need to know?

Yes, many training professionals become self-employed consultants and specialise in specific areas of expertise (such as Health & Safety) and you could consider this as an alternative option to working for one particular employer.

Training is no longer seen as a reaction to legal changes and has thus a well qualified and experienced training manager is a valuable asset to their business.

There is no end to the variety of methods by which you can enhance your knowledge and expertise and, as a food company trainer, you should set the benchmark for personal and career improvement through learning.