About Improve

Researching and fulfilling the needs of the Food and Drink Industry

The Strategic Voice for the Industry

Improve provides the strategic overview for the food & drink manufacturing sector to help increase performance and productivity. Being partly government and partly self-funded, Improve is perfectly placed to be the voice of  employers and government – articulating and championing the sector’s needs to government skills bodies, reporting back on government policy and how it affects the sector.

Research for the Food and Drink Industry

The work Improve carries out cannot be delivered without indepth research into the skills landscape across the UK. Improve's research provides the basis for the development of qualifications, ensuring that they are in-line with industry needs.

National Occupational Standards

Working with employers of all sizes across the UK, Improve continuously develops suites of National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the food & drink industry. NOS are guidelines of what an individual needs to do, know and understand in order to carry out a job role or function. They are useful guides for employers in a number of ways including benchmarking their staff and drawing up job descriptions. All qualifications are based on and linked to NOS.

Qualification Development

Improve works with employers and stakeholders in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland to ensure valid qualifications are available to meet the needs of the food and drink industry. 

Improve uses Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) to confirm industry requirements in order to develop and approve qualifications which reflect the demands of different types of businesses and a wide range of roles in the sector. Consultation with employers and stakeholders is crucial to make sure the qualifications contain the right mix of skills and knowledge needed to work effectively in the food and drink industry.

Apprenticeship Framework Development

Apprenticeships are Government-backed, work-based training frameworks specifically tailored to meet the skills needs of employers.

Improve's Food and Drink Apprenticeships combine industry-recognised qualifications with on-the-job training to give employees the skills they need in everything from production and operations to more technical and commercial areas. 

Working in Partnership with the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink

Developing the right Qualifications and Apprenticeships for the industry is only part of the training solution for companies in the food and drink industry. Finding the right training provider to deliver the training is just as important. In order to help with this challenge, Improve work in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink.The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink use Improves insight and knowledge to provide impartial advice to companies in the Industry and offer training courses and qualifications through a prestigious and unique, UK-wide network of training provision. The network of excellence consists of a series of specialist training partners who have been selected for their ability to provide effective quality training, as defined by you. They match skills areas demanded by employers, and each must have a well established reputation for delivering high quality, food sector specific learning solutions.