Food and drink operations

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A breakdown of the qualification and course content content

A breakdown of the qualification and course content

What exactly is a Foundation Apprenticeship and what is it worth?

Foundation Apprenticeships consist of groups of qualifications which are comparible to a Higher and are very recognisable in industries. The main qualification in the award will usually be a National Progression Award or a National Certificate at level 6.

In most of our Foundation Apprenticeships you will also complete some SVQ units while in your work placement. SVQs are a work based qualification which allows individuals to demonstrate their competency by providing written and other forms of evidence.

Depending on the course, you might complete work which could be considered as comparable to more than one Higher but this is normaly assessed on an individual basis by the university or college you apply to.

We explain this further in the section which explains progression routes.

Course units content

Course units

National Progression Award in Food Manufacture

Units	Description
Food Manufacturing: Fundamentals of Food Science	The purpose of this unit is to give you an overview of the science and associated legislation underpinning the food and drink manufacturing industry. You will develop a knowledge and understanding of the chemical composition and nutritional properties of various foods. You will investigate the legislation that is associated with the food and drink manufacturing industry, including the relevant microbiology and food safety aspects.
Food Manufacturing: Food Production	The purpose of this unit is to give you an overview of the structure of the food and drink manufacturing industry from field or sea to table. The content will introduce you to the processing and manufacturing operations undertaken in a range of sectors.
Food Manufacturing: Commercial and Social Drivers	The purpose of this unit is to give you an overview of the influence of the economic climate and social attitudes on the food and drink manufacturing industry. you will develop knowledge and understanding of how consumers and retailers affect the economic and social trends in the food and drink manufacturing industry.
Food Manufacutring: Sustainability	The purpose of this unit is to enable you to research and make an informed evaluation of the sustainability of the agricultural procedures, primary processing and manufacturing processes involved in the food and drink industry. you will research procedures for a specific food or drink product in order to evaluate whether the production processing and distribution is sustainable.
Elementary Food Hygiene	These courses represent a non SQA component of the Foundation Apprenticeship framework in Food and Drink Operations. These units are provided by REHIS
Elementary Health and Safety Certificate

Units

Description

Food Manufacturing:

Fundamentals of Food Science

The purpose of this unit is to give you an overview of the science and associated legislation underpinning the food and drink manufacturing industry. You will develop a knowledge and understanding of the chemical composition and nutritional properties of various foods. You will investigate the legislation that is associated with the food and drink manufacturing industry, including the relevant microbiology and food safety aspects.

Food Manufacturing: Food Production

The purpose of this unit is to give you an overview of the structure of the food and drink manufacturing industry from field or sea to table. The content will introduce you to the processing and manufacturing operations undertaken in a range of sectors.

Food Manufacturing: Commercial

and Social Drivers

The purpose of this unit is to give you an overview of the influence of the economic climate and social attitudes on the food and drink manufacturing industry. you will develop knowledge and understanding of how consumers and retailers affect the economic and social trends in the food and drink manufacturing industry.

Food Manufacutring: Sustainability

The purpose of this unit is to enable you to research and make an informed evaluation of the sustainability of the agricultural procedures, primary processing and manufacturing processes involved in the food and drink industry. you will research procedures for a specific food or drink product in order to evaluate whether the production processing and distribution is sustainable.

Elementary Food Hygiene

These courses represent a non SQA component of the Foundation Apprenticeship framework in Food and Drink Operations. These units are provided by REHIS

Elementary Health and Safety Certificate

SVQ Units

Units	Description
Develop productive working relationships with colleagues	This unit is about developing working relationships with colleagues, within your own organisation and within other organisations, that are productive in terms of supporting and delivering your work and that of the overall organisation. ‘Colleagues’ are any people you are expected to work with, whether they are at a similar position or in other positions, including your manager. The unit is recommended for team leaders and first line managers. This unit is linked to all other units in the overall suite of National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership where developing productive relationships with colleagues may be required.
Interperate and comunicate information and data in food and drink operations	This unit covers the skills and knowledge you will need to interpret and communicate information and data in food and drink operations. You will be required to identify and source information and data and present information in suitable formats for different audiences.
Contribute to continuous improvement of food safety in food and drink operations	This unit is about making a contribution to continuously improving food safety in processing operations. You will need to be able to identify areas where improvements can be made which promote effective food safety. You will also need to be able to report this information in a suitable way to senior staff.
Develop a new product in a food business	This standard is about the skills needed for you to develop a new product in a food business. New products are developed for a number of reasons including customer request, market information, business expansion, changes to regulations and the financial implications of a global food market. You must be able to plan development activities including the assessing of a new product request and setting clear objectives. You must also be able to encourage a creative and innovative working environment and support development of new products whilst remaining within the requirements of the request. The trialing of test samples adhering to organisational and customer requirements and then making recommendations for further development work is also required.
Promote and support creative thinking in a food business	This unit is about the skills needed for you to promote and support creative thinking in a food business. The promotion and support of creative thinking within an organisation is important in developing a culture of development and continuous improvement. It is essential to technical innovation, problem solving and increasing quality and productivity in a food business. Organisational culture is key to the promotion and support of creative thinking in a food businiess. You will need to be able to communicate the importance of creative thinking to achieving the strategy and objectives of the food business. You will also need to be able to support the creative thinking process by encouraging knowledge sharing between colleagues, listening to creative ideas, publicly acknowledging them and providing constructive feedback.

Units

Description

Develop productive working relationships

with colleagues

This unit is about developing working relationships with colleagues, within your own organisation and within other organisations, that are productive in terms of supporting and delivering your work and that of the overall organisation.
‘Colleagues’ are any people you are expected to work with, whether they are at a similar position or in other positions, including your manager.
The unit is recommended for team leaders and first line managers.
This unit is linked to all other units in the overall suite of National Occupational
Standards for Management and Leadership where developing productive relationships with colleagues may be required.

Interperate and comunicate information

and data in food and drink operations

This unit covers the skills and knowledge you will need to interpret and communicate information and data in food and drink operations. You will be required to identify and source information and data and present information in suitable formats for different audiences.

Contribute to continuous improvement of food safety in

food and drink operations

This unit is about making a contribution to continuously improving food safety in processing operations. You will need to be able to identify areas where improvements can be made which promote effective food safety. You will also need to be able to report this information in a suitable way to senior staff.

Develop a new product in a food business

This standard is about the skills needed for you to develop a new product in a food business. New products are developed for a number of reasons including customer request, market information, business expansion, changes to regulations and the financial implications of a global food market.
You must be able to plan development activities including the assessing of a new product request and setting clear objectives. You must also be able to encourage a creative and innovative working environment and support development of new products whilst remaining within the requirements of the request. The trialing of test samples adhering to organisational and customer requirements and then making recommendations for further development work is also required.

Promote and support creative thinking in a food business

This unit is about the skills needed for you to promote and support creative thinking in a food business. The promotion and support of creative thinking within an organisation is important in developing a culture of development and continuous improvement. It is essential to technical innovation, problem solving and increasing quality and productivity in a food business. Organisational culture is key to the promotion and support of creative thinking in a food businiess.
You will need to be able to communicate the importance of creative thinking to achieving the strategy and objectives of the food business. You will also need to be able to support the creative thinking process by encouraging knowledge sharing between colleagues, listening to creative ideas, publicly acknowledging them and providing constructive feedback.

Progression routes content

Progression routes

Pathways following completion

Modern Apprenticeships

There are opportunities to progress to a Modern apprenticeship .

UHI Progression

On successful completion you will be able to progress other courses in this subject area.

Applying to other universities

Skills Development Scotland had been working closely with universities and colleges to understand the ways that the Foundation Apprenticeship Award is considered in their admissions policies.

We have included the most up to date guides from Skills Development Scotland

FA to College Opportunity

FA to Degree Opportunity

Employer links content

Employer links

Foundation Apprenticeships are designed in consultation with industries who are relevant to the subject.

This consultation continues throughout the yearly delivery of our Foundation Apprenticeship courses.

This can take the form of:

Classroom talks from key individuals in companies who participate in Foundation Apprenticeship placements.

Opportunities to showcase learning to various employers.

Challenges and projects set for Foundation Apprenticeships by employers.

Classroom vists from Modern and Graduate apprentices.

Vists to employers.

All employers who agree to provide placements are also approved by us and the local authority to have school children on their premises and they work closely with the Developign the Young Workforce Team at Inverness College UHI to support and observe the young person in the work placement.

How to apply content

How to apply

Applications for Foundation Apprenticeships open in January each year as part of our wider schools programme application process. Dates are directly communicated to schools, and are also available on our website. Applicants can apply on our schools section until the closing date.

You can discuss an application or potential application with your guidance teacher at any time and request further information from the our schools team.