Apprentices from the College of West Anglia’s (CWA) Wisbech campus are supporting one of the region’s biggest job growth areas in the food and drink manufacturing industry, alongside key employers in the area.

Thirty-three apprentices are currently studying towards Level 3 Diploma in Food and Drink Engineering Maintenance at CWA while working at key international, national and regional employers, including Princes Group, Bakkavor Group, British Sugar, Pioneer Foods, Hain Daniels Group, Mars Food, Fenmarc Produce, Greenyard Frozen, Karro Food Group, Worldwide Fruit Ltd, Banham Poultry and G’s Fresh.

The four-year apprenticeship standard began in 2016 and covers a wide range of subjects from higher level maths, thermodynamics, welding, machining, and electrical and mechanical maintenance to set the apprentices up with the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful career within the food and drink industry.

CWA was instrumental in developing the apprenticeship programme and saw the first ever cohort nationwide achieve the standard over two years ago. The College are also recognised as an Industry Approved training provider and form part of the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink’s provider network.

Ellie Seston, who studies on the FDEM apprenticeship, and works for Bakaavor, commented, “I have enjoyed studying on my apprenticeship. It had given me insight into the industry and reinforced what we’ve been studying at college. When I complete my apprenticeship, I hope to secure a fulltime job at Bakaavor.”

David Pomfret, CWA Principal, said, “We have strong ties with employers in the region, and we are committed to supporting local and growing industry sectors. We hope that many more apprentices will leave us to become valued professionals within the food drinks manufacturing industry.”

If you would like to find out more about the technical qualifications available to you, including the FDEM apprenticeship, please visit, cwa.ac.uk

Image from L to R – Viktovija Miglane, Jordan Furner, Simon Marriott, Lewis Scott and Ellie Seston 

Student Ellie Seston