Grant Foods worker turns Level 2 apprentice

- Published: 21 April, 2010

David Candish, a production operative at Grant Foods in Galston, Ayrshire, has become the first person in Scotland to complete a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship.

Kilmarnock-based Candish has been working for around 18 months as a production operative for tinned haggis producers Grant Foods.

He was given the opportunity to take a Modern Apprenticeship after the Scottish Government was persuaded by Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, to make Modern Apprenticeships available at Level 2 for the first time and also abolish the age cap on funding.

As a result, nearly 600 people working in Scotland’s £7.4bn food and drink industry have started a Modern Apprenticeship in the past 12 months, compared to fewer than 25 the previous year.

Candish said he saw taking the Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Meat and Poultry skills as an important means of advancing his career.

“I was very keen to take this qualification as it gives me opportunities I didn’t have before. As well as a greater understanding of the business, I now have a building block to go on to other things.”

John Fallon, chief executive of Grant Foods, said: “As soon as we heard about the introduction of the new Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship, we wanted to get on board.

“It offers an ideal approach to training for our business, as it provides flexible on-the-job learning, which fits seamlessly in with day-to-day operations.

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