Multi-award winning North Wales family business, The Village Bakery, was runner up at Wales’ VQ Employer of the Year showpiece awards ceremony held on VQ Day at Coleg y Cymoedd’s Nantgarw Campus.
The Wrexham company was one of three finalists from across Wales who were all congratulated by Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates. VQ Day is a national celebration of people who have achieved success in vocational education in Wales.
The Village Bakery, which has a workforce of 320 and is proudly celebrating its 80th birthday as a craft bakery this year, is reaping the rewards of its policy of growing its own skilled workers.
An enthusiastic advocate of vocational study in the form of apprenticeships and continued professional development, the company won the Fast Growth 50 award last year after recording a staggering 1,500 per cent growth.
The company offers apprenticeships in bakery, engineering and accountancy and supports Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) professional development. Training is delivered by Coleg Cambria, Glyndŵr University or MOL.
Last year’s intake of learners increased fourfold to 16 to keep pace with the growth of the business, which supplies bread, rolls, pies and morning goods to customers across the country and even exports some products to Europe.
“A highly skilled workforce future-proofs any organisation and allows it to plan successfully for succession,” said Mrs Sam Gregory, The Village Bakery’s HR manager. “Organisations are continually changing to remain competitive in a more ferocious global economy and the bakery is no different.
“Developing your own staff makes commercial sense, as higher skills bring greater knowledge and in turn higher productivity and increased profits, while lowering absenteeism and extending the length of service through employee loyalty.”
The VQ Employer of the Year Award winner was Hengoed Court care home, Swansea, which employs 220 staff.
The awards coincided with the publication of two new skills reports. The Institute of Public Policy Research revealed that, with 3.6 million skilled vacancies opening up across the UK over the next 10 years, vocational qualifications have never been in such demand.
In addition the Employer Skills Survey 2013 Wales report provides evidence that the Welsh economy is moving towards recovery and highlights the skills needed by employers across Wales and within sectors and occupations.
Mr Skates, who presented the VQ awards, congratulated all the finalists for excelling in their vocational learning journey. He called on employers and individuals to take responsible action on skills following the findings of both reports.
“Next month, we will be launching our Skills Implementation Plan, which sets out the actions we intend to take in developing the skills of the Welsh workforce and increasing levels of skills investment,” he said.
“VQ Day reminds us just how many Welsh employers and learners are already going that extra mile when it comes to developing skills. A VQ award is more than just an award; it’s a symbol of dedication towards your chosen profession.
“We have no intention of preaching to the converted, but if the Welsh economy is to continue to grow then we must ensure employers, individuals and the Welsh Government work together and invest in the right skills for success.”
VQ Day supports the aspiration that vocational qualifications should achieve parity of esteem alongside other educational routes.
Learning providers across Wales came together to celebrate VQ Day and engage with learners of all ages through providing interactive taster sessions in a range of skills at Coleg y Cymoedd’s Nantgarw Campus and Coleg Cambria’s Deeside Campus.
VQ Day and the VQ Awards are co-ordinated in Wales by ColegauCymru and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) with the support of the Welsh Government and part funded by the European Social Fund.
