Yorkshire based firm offers food industry apprenticeships – degree courses paid for

The food industry in the UK is big business. It’s dynamic, fast paced and offers a lifetime of career opportunities.

It is these factors that allow Cranswick to offer such a broad range of apprenticeships to school-leavers, says Sam Foster, Group Talent Acquisition Officer for the company.

“The feedback I hear is people aren’t generally aware of the broad range of opportunities a career in the food industry can offer,” he said.

During his time with Cranswick, Sam has streamlined the apprenticeship programme and forged strong working partnerships with training providers and universities including Leeds Trinity, Sheffield Hallam and the University of Lincoln.

Remember November – register now!

Whether you’re looking for a level 2 apprenticeship (GCSE or equivalent) or longer degree apprenticeship you’ll want to save this date because the next openings for apprenticeship opportunities will be advertised on the Cranswick website from the end of November.

Applying is easy – it’s a CV and cover letter and Sam says there’s lots of help available to assist anyone with an application.

You can register your interest now on the website and Sam will send a reminder when the opportunities are live for applications.

Range of opportunities

Cranswick is one of the UK’s largest food producers with a long-established farming heritage and some of the most advanced food manufacturing facilities.

You would expect there to be farming and food production apprenticeships – although you might be surprised at how broad the offer is.

Sam outlined some examples to showcase the variety of opportunities in the food industry, which are offered at Cranswick.

- Sales and Marketing – this is a business to business qualification with Leeds Trinity University.

- Food Technical – this is a food science based apprenticeship leading to a degree through Sheffield Hallam University.

- Finance – study to become a chartered accountant gaining professional qualifications and first-hand experience

- Operations – this manufacturing management course equips people to produce the highest quality food.

- Engineering – this provides people with the opportunity to start their career in some of the most technologically advanced and well invested facilities in the country.

- IT – you could be developing new software solutions, managing cyber security, network integration – the opportunities at the hub of the business are endless.

- Farming – being vertically integrated from farm to fork you will learn about our agricultural operations.

Where are the roles?

Learning on the job and studying in the ‘classroom’ at a training provider or university is about an 80:20 split for most courses.

Where you get your experience depends on the kind of apprenticeship you do, and in what field, but Cranswick has opportunities throughout Yorkshire at one of its seven sites in Hull. There is also a pastry factory in Malton, bacon production in Sherburn-in-Elmet and a cooked meats sites in Barnsley and Leeds. Farming opportunities are offered across East Yorkshire.

Fill a skills gap

“As a business that continually invests to grow, we’re always looking for new talent,” says Sam.

“We offer a diverse range of highly attractive careers and high earning potential,” he says. “People can have preconceptions of what a food factory is like but when they see a Cranswick site they’re surprised.”

Find out more

Apprenticeships give your career a head start and mean you can earn whilst you learn, with time and support to study for industry-recognised qualifications and even degrees. Cranswick’s apprenticeships are well supported by industry professionals and education providers. Programmes range from Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) up to Level 7 (Master’s Degree equivalent).

Whichever qualification you choose, Cranswick’s team will support you throughout your journey with relevant mentoring, guidance and training.

Find out more by visiting the website here, or email [email protected]