Leading British food manufacturer Kepak has become the first food business in the UK to offer free training places in partnership with The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, encouraging individuals to consider a career the sector.

The Food Passports initiative gives participants the opportunity to complete courses relating to the food and drink industry, which can be used to help kickstart a career at the company thanks to Kepak also pledging to guarantee an interview for every candidate who complete the course.

Kepak has pledged to fund 100 training courses, with an additional 100 places at the company being match-funded by The National Skills Academy, taking the total to 200.

The training places are available across Scotland, England and Wales at four Kepak sites located in Aberdeen, Kirkham, Bodmin and Merthyr – where the company recently announced a £5.5m site investment to help meet rising demand for its products.

On being the first food company to pledge their support for the scheme, Cian Short, Early Careers Manager, Kepak Group said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining the food industry with many opportunities to start a career at Kepak being offered and the Food Passport scheme is a great way of gaining industry knowledge alongside developing necessary skills.

“Being the first food business to pledge training places and through our partnership with the NSA supporting initiatives like the Food Passport scheme, we will hopefully encourage many to consider a career in the industry with long term career prospects. At Kepak we are committed to supporting local communities and being a good employer, and this investment is further evidence of that commitment in action”

“Since it’s national launch last year, the Passport has gained considerable support as an innovative new recruitment route and it’s excellent to have businesses like Kepak on board and pledging preferential recognition including guaranteed interviews for holders,” said NSAFD Chief Executive, Louise Cairns.