Training fears for Scottish butchers

Fears have been expressed that the meat industry could lose training resources in Scotland after Scottish Enterprise overspent its budget.

The organisation will no longer fund 50 trainee butcher places in the 19-24 age group, only those in the 16-18 category, leaving a skills gap, according to the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association (SFMTA).

The reduction has created a serious worry that, by April 2007, trainee numbers will be seriously reduced, says SFMTA chief executive Douglas Scott. "For Scottish Meat Training there are simply not enough candidates in this age group to be able to fill the gap created when existing trainees complete their qualification. Compounding that is an instruction to register traineees not just on Level II but on a Modern Apprenticeship."

Scott added SFMTA had collected substantial evidence to confirm that 18-year-olds are not likely to be put in a supervisory role because of their lack of experience and a lack of respect from older staff.

He called for Scottish Enterprise to continue funding training for the 19-24 age group to ensure the industry does not lose people wanting to work in the meat industry and that training providers, "such as ourselves, are around in the future to ensure training takes place in this sector".

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