Improve, the food and drink sector skills council has been working with five companies employing between 20 and 60 people in Northern Ireland, carrying out a skills needs analysis programme to identify training which would help bolster performance.
Funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, the scheme looks to help time-strapped managers analyse workforce training and skills needs, with a view to improving productivity and efficiency.
Improve’s Northern Ireland regional development manager Geoff Lamb, said: "It is perceived that many SMEs in Northern Ireland have major problems developing their staff through training.
"The purpose of this project was to assess, through a small sample of companies, if this was the case.
"It has been very successful. All those who took part felt on-the-job training was of particular importance in developing their staff. In several companies the need for Apprenticeships was also highlighted, with bakery and engineering appearing as the most important."
The five companies which signed up to the scheme were Ashers Bakery, based in Newtownabbey, employing 50 staff, Hughes Mushrooms, in Dungannon, with 60 employees, Salad Fayre in Newtownards, which employes 20 members of staff and Mash Direct in Comber and Cottage Catering in Dromore, which both have 40 employees.
Lamb added: "Without exception the businesses surveyed are very ‘immediate’, they are dealing with fresh produce which has to be turned around quickly and this adds additional pressure to managers in terms of fulfilling orders.
"It leaves them very little time to think strategically and look at how to strengthen their business.
"The managers are aware what needs to be done to address identified skills gaps, but less aware of how and where to close the particular gaps, which is where the skills needs analysis becomes invaluable."
Sylvia Weatherup, general manager of Ashers Baking, said: "We found it very beneficial as it highlighted a number of areas we could address and we are now progressing some of these," she said.
