Level 4 and Level 5 Higher Apprenticeships
Higher Apprenticeships
Our Level 5 Apprenticeships give individuals the chance to enter higher education and to enhance their career prospects within the food and drink industry.
The Food and Drink Engineer is a 3 year programme and typical job titles include Food and Drink Mechanical Engineer, Food and Drink Electrical Engineer, Continuous Improvement Food and Drink Engineer, and Food and Drink Reliability Engineer.
NCFM deliver an Operations/Departmental Manager Apprenticeship route at Level 5. This is designed and contextualised for practising food sector middle managers, helping them to develop their skills and experience, improve performance, and prepare for senior management responsibilities.
The suite of Higher Apprenticeships offered by NCFM is further complimented by the Level 4 Hygiene Specialist standard. As a pre-requisite activity for all food and drink businesses, the hygiene specialist standard is designed by industry, for those individuals who provide the expertise and specialist management and leadership skills for setting, maintaining, and implementing effective and efficient hygiene management systems, through working with senior technical, production, and operational teams across the organisation. Suitable for those working in and leading hygiene teams, including: Hygiene compliance managers, Hygiene managers, Hygiene supervisors, and Hygiene team and process leaders.
Upon completion individuals may be able to progress to a Degree Apprenticeship, with potential promotion opportunities available for a variety of roles including roles such as Engineering Management, Technical Management, Quality Management, Process Development or New Product Development, Production Management, Supply Chain Management and more.
Level 5 Food and Drink Engineer
Food and Drink Engineers maintain, manage, and install a range of specialist equipment and technology used in the manufacture of food and drink products. Combining engineering competence with an understanding of food safety, science and technology, their focus is on managing, maintaining, and continuously improving assets.
Level 5 Operations/Departmental Manager
This programme is designed for practising managers, to help them develop their skills and experience, improve productivity, and prepare them for senior management responsibilities.
Level 4 Hygiene Specialist
This Level 4 apprenticeship supports the food and drink sector and its supply chains, hygiene compliance managers, hygiene managers, hygiene supervisors, and hygiene team and process leaders.
Level 4 Quality Practitioner
For those working across a range of Quality Practices in their responsible area, this programme can support a business in achieving its contractual and regulatory requirements, for their key stakeholders.
Level 4 Process Leader
This apprenticeship is designed for those working in manufacturing or advanced manufacturing processes. For Process Leaders, this programme can support a business and an individual in achieving their operational aims and objectives.
Levy Paying Employers
Apprenticeship Charges for Employers Accessing Open Provision
Levy Paying Employers – Funding Bands
Apprenticeship frameworks and standards are assigned to a funding band by the Government. Charges are listed below for Apprenticeships underpinned by standards. These are subject to any changes made by the Government to published funding rates as defined here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-funding-bands.
For further information on NCFM’s charges for Apprenticeship provision please contact Sharon Green on shgreen@lincoln.ac.uk or call 01406 493000.
| Level | Duration | Programme | Band Maximum /Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 2-2.5 years | Master’s Degree Apprenticeship - underpinned by MSc | £18,000 |
| 6 | 4 years | Degree Apprenticeship - underpinned by BSc (Hons) | £27,000 |
| 6 | 18-24 months | Degree Apprenticeship – ‘top up’ from Foundation Degree | Charge - £14,000 |
| 5 | 3 years | Higher Apprenticeships | £27,000 |
Non-Levy Paying Employers
Non-Levy Paying Employers should contact the National Centre for Food Manufacturing directly to check the availability of Education and Skills Funding Agency funded Apprenticeship places for smaller employers. Where funded places are available, eligible businesses are required to contribute to 10% of the above charge. There is an exception for businesses employing fewer than 50 people where Apprentices aged 16 to 18 at the start of their programme can be fully funded.
From April 2019 for new apprentices starting a programme non-levy paying employers will share the cost of training and assessing their apprentices with government - this is called ‘co-investment’. You will now pay 5% towards the cost of apprenticeship training. The government will pay the rest (95%) up to the funding band maximum. If you are an employer with less than 50 employees and the Apprentice has been in the care of the local authority, meeting certain criteria, and/or has an Educational and Health Plan, you may be eligible for full costs.
For more information and for details about funding your study, please see our UK/EU Fees & Funding pages or our International funding and scholarship pages.
Self Funded and Non-Levy Students
A number of our programmes are also available as stand-alone qualifications to provide access to non-levy funded or self-funded students.
Find out more: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/holbeach/degreefoundationcourses/
Contact Us
The Centre of Excellence in Agri-food Technology
Holbeach
Spalding
PE12 7FJ