Coca-Cola Enterprises gives students an insight into engineering
18 November 2015
Students from local schools across the North West have received an exclusive insight into food engineering careers during a visit to Coca-Cola Enterprises' Morpeth site.
Coca-Cola Enterprises opened its factory doors to A-Level and foundation year students from Sheffield Hallam University, Abbey Gate College in Chester, and King Edward VI High School in Morpeth for a special engineering workshop. The event was supported by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the voice of UK food and drink.
The event involved company engineers setting an engineering challenge for the students who had previously expressed interest in careers in food and drink and the industry-supported BEng and MEng Food Engineering degrees at Sheffield Hallam University. The pupils were also taken on a factory tour during which they experienced the day-to-day workings of various production lines. Finally, students heard from a Sheffield Hallam University representative about the food engineering courses on offer.
The outstanding pupils of the day, Dan Larby from King Edward VI High School and Will Littlewood from Abbey Gate College, were selected for their enthusiasm, creativity and contribution to the workshop. Both pupils have won a special tour of the company's Wakefield facility and lunch with a senior engineer, in addition to an Amazon Kindle. The winning group from King Edward VI High School and Sheffield Hallam University were selected for their unique and dynamic approach to the task, and received exclusive Coca-Cola Enterprises careers materials.
Gina Solimeno, Education Programme Manager at Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: “As a local manufacturer we are committed to supporting the skills development and learning needs of young people, to inspire the next generation about potential careers in manufacturing and engineering. We work hard to demonstrate the variety of opportunities available across the sector, and through days such as this, our education programmes provide valuable insight into our business and the wider industry. By opening our factory doors we hope to inspire students to show them the future possibilities within food and drink businesses such as ours.”
Angela Coleshill, Director of Competitiveness Director at FDF, said: “There is such a wide range of highly skilled, well-paid career opportunities in food and drink manufacturing. Company-run workshops like this which give young people a first-hand taste of the sector and the chance to network with employers are really important.
“Many of the UK's most dynamic and best loved brands support the Bachelors and Masters in range of Food Engineering degrees on offer at Sheffield Hallam University, offering guaranteed paid summer placements, industry mentoring and guest lecturers from industry leaders.”
Event images are available here
Notes for editors:
- The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is the voice of the food and drink manufacturing industry – the UK's largest manufacturing sector.
- Food and drink is the UK's largest manufacturing sector. By 2022 the industry anticipates that it will need over 109,000 new recruits to help it meet growing demand and skills shortages in areas such as engineering. The industry is addressing this through its careers campaign Taste Success and through raising food and drink's profile at events
- For more information on MEng Food Engineering and BEng Food Engineering courses at Sheffield Hallam University please visit MEng Food Engineering and BEng Food Engineering Sheffield Hallam University course pages
- The BEng and MEng Food Engineering courses at Sheffield Hallam University have been developed by Graduate Excellence, a partnership between the Food and Drink Federation, the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink and Sheffield Hallam University
- The new world-class National Centre of Excellence at Sheffield Hallam University aims to support industry growth through helping the sector to improve manufacturing capability, provide engineering solutions for energy and waste efficiencies, deliver packaging innovations through leading-edge technology and skills solutions to inspire the next generation of food engineers.
About Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd
- Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE) is the world's third-largest independent Coca-Cola bottler. CCE is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
- In Great Britain, Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd employs some 4,000 people across England, Scotland and Wales at manufacturing sites and depots.
- CCE is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its products and operations, with a particular focus on sustainable packaging and recycling, water stewardship, and energy and climate protection.
- For further information please visit www.cokecce.co.uk
For more information contact:
Alexandra Crisp alexandra.crisp@fdf.org.uk 020 7420 7120
