10.12.2008
A factory worker from Norfolk has scooped a national prize for excellence in training at an awards ceremony dubbed the Oscars of the food and drink industry.
Natalie Scott, who lives in Brandon, won the Apprentice of the Year prize at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards held at the glitzy Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London. Judges for the award, which is sponsored by food and drink sector skills council Improve, were impressed by how Natalie completed her Level 2 Apprenticeship in Food and Drink Manufacturing in just seven months – a year less than the course usually takes.
Spurred on by her success, 23-year-old Natalie, who works at the Marlow Foods factory in Methwold, near Thetford where Cauldron vegetarian foods are made, has now set her sights on rising through the ranks at the Premier Foods-owned company.
Since completing her apprenticeship, she has already taken a management course with the Institute of Leadership and Management, and is now planning on starting a Train the Trainer course so she can help some of her fellow workers develop their skills as well.
“Taking an apprenticeship was great for me,” said Natalie. “It covered everything I was doing on a day-to-day basis but also encouraged me to learn more about how things work across the whole factory and think about how my work fits in with that. I’ve definitely grown in confidence and developed my skills.
“I’d recommend an apprenticeship to anyone. It is really pleasing to get a qualification that recognises what you can do - it gives you the determination to achieve even more. Winning this prize is an added bonus, and I’m really thankful to everyone at work for supporting me.”
Jack Matthews, chief executive of Improve, which is responsible for developing apprenticeships in the food and drink industry, congratulated Natalie on her success. “To complete an apprenticeship in so short a space of time is a great achievement,” he said. “Natalie’s success is an excellent example of what can be achieved in the food and drink industry and I am sure this is just the start of a very successful career for her. The industry offers plenty of opportunities and excellent rewards for young, talented, ambitious people like Natalie and I hope this will encourage more people to consider it as a career option.”
Natalie’s apprenticeship was run by Dereham-based Poultec Training Ltd, an accredited training provider within the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, which is part of Improve. Poultec’s manufacturing senior assessor Kevin Bowman, who nominated Natalie for the award, said: “Natalie shone from the beginning as she is very intelligent, very self-motivated and very willing to learn. In order to make the most of training, it is vital to be open to progression and bettering oneself, and Natalie definitely is. I think the judges were impressed by exactly the same attributes that I saw in her, and she fully deserves this award.”
