The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink has taken on a head of programmes to lead the industry’s Industry Skills Partnership.

Skills expert Sue Densley, who has previously worked for McDonald’s and Flybe, will help businesses leading the partnership. The idea is to set sector-wide skills priorities and develop the skills programmes to tackle them. Business leaders and trade groups from the food and drink manufacturing sector will be invited to take up key Partnership representation.

Densley will also be responsible for managing the package of academy services provided to the private training companies, colleges and universities that have been formally accredited by the academy.

Densley said: “I’m here to ensure the skills programmes the Partnership endorses in future are managed professionally. I’ll also be helping the industry to respond effectively to collaborative sector-wide initiatives, such as feedback and implementation of new Trailblazer apprenticeship standards in England.”

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