First Milk in Wrexham – putting the Employer Pledge scheme into action

First Milk (formerly Dairy Crest) employs around 450 staff, dedicated to the packaging and distribution of various cheeses from different parts of the UK. This is a production line operation, with cutting and packing and wrapping machinery, warehousing and distribution areas. A lot of the work is highly repetitive, and the shifts (four days on, four days off, working 12 hour shifts of 6am-6pm and 6pm -6am) mean there can be times when turn-over is high, or staff absences mean gaps have to be filled by temporary staff. Language can be an issue – many workers now are from Poland, Portugal or elsewhere, and may not understand instructions easily.

As an employer, First Milk was keen to provide stability in the workforce and to offer opportunities for skills development, and in 2003 it signed the Employer Pledge. For First Milk, signing up to the Employer Pledge was a way of highlighting the company’s commitment to developing the potential of its employees, as well as increasing accuracy and improving performance.

Human Resources Manager, Nigel Walters, is keen to support learning and development and sees the classes as an asset to the company and essential to their future success. Nigel estimates that over 100 staff have enrolled on the courses with about 60 staff attending courses at the moment – about 15% of the workforce. Already he has seen the impact, as Nigel says: ‘productivity has increased by 15 per cent and staff turnover has decreased from 30 per cent to 8 per cent. Our learners have progressed from entry level 3 to level 1 – it is huge progress.’

Classes take place in the First Milk Learning Centre – a dedicated well -equipped-learning space. Learners from all ages take part in the courses, provided by a partnership between The First Milk Cheese Company, the Union (USDAW – the Union of Shop, Distribution and Allied Workers) and Yale College.

Courses include: Metric Weights and Measures, Effective Communication, Basic Computers, Level 1 Computers and ESOL. Through Learn Direct, employees can go on to do Levels 2 and 3 Computer courses. The baseline used for measuring learners’ progress is the Basic Skills Cymru Initial Assessment tool.

Samantha Rawlinson is the USDAW Learning Coordinator, and she outlines some of the factors behind the successes First Milk has been achieving. The classes are tailored to fit in with the shifts, and also tailored to the working practices - this makes it more relevant to the people who attend the courses as they can put into practice what they have learned every day at work. For example, the Weights and Measures Course has helped learners to understand the use of scales, which are used throughout the factory, to weigh correct weights of cheese being packed into boxes. If scales are not used correctly or even understood, this could cost the company thousands of pounds every year. Samantha comments: ‘We had a person employed in a position of checking other people’s work. This involved checking weights of products and calibration of weighing equipment. But the weights and measures system has changed from the imperial system to the metric system since this person left school, and she was not sure of the metric system. She found the course quite difficult at first, but was eased through it by the tutor, whose help was invaluable.’

There are challenges in organising learning to fit the shift pattern. It is a 24 hour factory with a large percentage of the workforce on shifts. The shifts release learners working at different levels so each term the company needs to change the times of the courses to accommodate people who work different shifts. Samantha feels that: ‘we need to make the learning centre more accessible to people who wish to learn at a time that suits them. This will also help us to support people to complete work towards NVQs.’

The Employer Pledge scheme’s success at First Milk can be attributed to a combination of strong support from management, the effective role of the Union, the quality of the tutors provided by Yale College - and the publicity which makes staff aware that the courses are running. Nigel Walters adds: ‘any stigma associated with basic skills tuition is not evident here in the workplace. Learners openly discuss with their colleagues what courses they are on and how they are progressing – that is the best publicity you can get, word of mouth!’

Contacts: Nigel Walters, HR Manager at First Milk Cheese Company; Anne Wales and Moira Edwards at Yale College, Wrexham

First Milk case studies:

Alex is Line Controller at First Milk. He began studying in the summer of 2006 after First Milk, in partnership with Yale College, put on a programme of on-site Basic Skills training. Alex enrolled on a Basic I.T course which lasted for 10 weeks. Having never been on a computer before, he was full of trepidation. However he says he needn’t have worried, as the tutor made the lessons very informal and friendly, with her down-to-earth manner and style of teaching. After completing the course, Alex was able to send e-mails to his daughter, with whom he’d lost contact over the years. Following his success on the I.T course, Alex was keen to continue studying and enrolled onto the Basic Literacy course which he completed at the end of January 2007.

Alex is thrilled with what he has achieved so far. He was so keen to do well in his studies that he came in before his shift started, and on his days off, to attend classes. As Alex says: ‘it was easy to switch off from work, as soon as I left the production line and came into the class I was ready to learn and the two hours just flew by!’

Alex enjoyed the company of other learners and he feels that he now knows more people at First Milk as a result of attending the classes. He is full of praise for First Milk, for organising the training, and wants to encourage other would-be learners to take up the opportunities on offer in the on-site training suite.

Steve is a Shift Manager, and started working for the company in November 1991. His first position was on a production line, packing portions of cheese into boxes for retailers. Steve showed great promise and was quickly promoted to Line Controller, then soon progressed to a managerial position as a Process Manager.

In 2004, Steve was promoted to the position of Shift Manager. This role involves managing the productivity of Process Managers and staff in the Production departments. Steve completed a two week management course, provided by the company, which consolidated his skills as a Manager. During routine tasks throughout the working day, Steve now has to use a computer for a number of aspects of his work. He had self-taught computer skills, but enrolled on an entry level computer course in the Learning Centre and successfully passed. During the course, Steve was working alongside some of his own staff, and this helped create good working relationships within the Production team. As Steve says: ‘I am a lot more confident now to use my self taught skills, combined with the new skills gained as a result of the course.’

Steve and two other Managers are now enrolling on the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) course in the Learning Centre. This will be delivered through LearnDirect and will provide knowledge of computer systems which these Managers need within their work.