The ABP Food Group is actively employing young people throughout the UK and Ireland within all aspects of its operation, requiring an extremely varied range of qualifications and backgrounds.
But more than this, the business is also providing bespoke education and training opportunities for these employees that will help develop lucrative career development goals into the future.
All of this activity is centred on the work of the ABP Training Academy. It’s very much a case of welcoming young people on board at various stages within their own development paths.
The academy provides a range of apprenticeship and applied learning opportunities for young people over 16 years-of-age and not in full-time education.
Meanwhile, ABP provides a range of year-long, industrial placements for undergraduate students. In addition, the business offers a selection of graduate programmes, designed to allow participants to put their degrees into practice.
Making all of this happen is the strong working relationship that APB has forged with a range of third-level teaching and research centres including Harper Adams and Teeside Universities.
ABP’s learning and development manager, Joanne Ferguson, attended the recent finals of the 2024 ABP Youth Challenge.
“There are three cores areas within the Talent Academy: apprenticeship programmes; graduate programmes; and placement programmes,” she said.
“We have a number of different routes for young talent coming into the business. These reflect the level of education already achieved and what individuals want to do next.
“Each of the programmes is very structured. Within ABP we are very focused on the development of young talent; we want to promote from within.
“This means giving young people coming into the business the right training and support,” Ferguson added.
According to the ABP representative, the business is committed to delivering development programmes that resonate uniformly across the entire scope of its operation.
“This means that for people coming into the business, there are a lot more opportunities,” Ferguson continued.
“This is because they can move within the different divisions of the businesses. New employees are not coming into fulfil one specific role.
“It’s all about the career journey they are going to have over a number of years.
“We are actively recruiting graduates and placement students for 2025. ABP Food Group currently employs around 15,000 people across its entire range of activities.”
