Picture: Left-to-right: Barnsley College Director of Business Development Helen Weatherston, Freshpak Learning and Development Manager Simon Thompson, Barnsley College Principal and CEO David Akeroyd, Freshpak CEO Toby Brinsmead, Freshpak Head of HR Robert Crisp, Barnsley College Business Teacher Angela Kerley, Barnsley College Business Development Account Manager Daniel Cherryholme.
Barnsley College has added leading chilled food manufacturer Freshpak to its growing range of academy partnerships.
The College now partners with 20 local businesses, from varied sectors, including sport, construction and business – as it continues to upskill its students and develop the workforce of the future.
Freshpak – based in Wombwell, Barnsley – is one of Britain’s largest chilled food manufacturers, effectively ‘creating’ the sandwich fillings market in the 1980s and now cooking up to four million eggs every week for major UK supermarkets and food retailers.
The academy strengthens the College’s existing relationship with Freshpak, which has seen its first cohort of students undertake a Level 3 Apprenticeship in the Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician standard, whilst bolstering their maths and English skills.
The academy will encourage Barnsley College students to consider work placements with Freshpak, helping them to transform their lives by opening their eyes to the number of diverse, skilled roles available with one of Barnsley’s largest employers.
Employer-led academies give students access to better education and training opportunities. Curriculums are co-developed and co-delivered through these partnerships, offering real-world experience alongside a qualification, with all teaching delivered in branded facilities.
David Akeroyd, Barnsley College Principal and CEO, said: “Academies are really important to us at the College – we pick our academy partnerships really carefully.
“We’re looking for organisations who are here for the right reasons to support our vision of transforming the lives of people in and around Barnsley. It’s also about allowing our students to see a clear flight path so they can see where their opportunities are.
“All of our partners are really integral in building that vision for our students. The added value we get from partnering with companies like Freshpak is showing students they could be an engineering operative, but they could also work in finance, they could be in procurement, human resources or IT – all within the same organisation and family of employees.”
Toby Brinsmead, CEO of Freshpak, said: “Having such an outstanding College so close to us is fantastic. By the nature of being a partnership, we both benefit – from the practical side, it gives our existing employees a route to improve and be promoted. It also advertises a potential career for students.
“If we can make careers interesting internally and people want to stay, that really has multiple benefits.”
Last updated: 15th December 2023
Originally posted on: 15th December 2023