Skills programme boosts recruitment and training across Welsh food and drink sector
Skills programme boosts recruitment and training across Welsh food and drink sector
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A workforce initiative backed by the Welsh Government is helping food and drink manufacturers across Wales recruit staff and develop new skills as employers expand capacity and invest in production.
The Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales programme, launched last year, aims to strengthen the sector’s labour pipeline through training, workforce planning and a dedicated recruitment platform.
Its online portal, Food and Drink Jobs Wales, has already listed 3,322 vacancies and been used by more than 1,271 employers, with 629 roles currently active.
Rhiain Williams, Marketing Officer at the Welsh Government Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales, said: “Our programme is designed to help employers in the food and drink sector plan, train and grow, ensuring they have access to the skilled workforce they need to thrive.
“Through Food and Drink Jobs Wales, we’re giving businesses a direct and effective route to job seekers who are actively exploring new or different career opportunities within the industry.
“As the sector looks to build strong teams for the year ahead, we’re proud to support employers like Radnor Hills in reaching people who want to build a long-term career in Welsh food and drink.”
One business benefitting from the initiative is Radnor Hills, a family-owned soft drinks producer based in Knighton, Powys.
The company produces more than 350 million drinks annually using spring water drawn from on-site boreholes.
Radnor Hills has invested heavily in packaging technology in recent years. In 2018 it installed Europe’s first 125ml Prism Pack line designed for young children, and more recently entered a collaboration with Disney featuring themed cartons.
In September 2025 the manufacturer opened a new high-speed packaging line developed with Tetra Pak.
The line increased carton capacity by 150% to 30,000 units per hour and forms part of a multi-million-pound investment programme focused on efficiency and sustainability.
The upgrade is expected to create more than 20 skilled jobs across operations, logistics and commercial roles, while existing employees have moved into new positions after completing on-site technical training delivered by Tetra Pak engineers.
The skills programme has worked with Radnor Hills on workforce planning and recruitment, with vacancies now promoted through the sector jobs portal to attract candidates across Wales.
Simon Knight, Managing Director of Radnor Hills said, “Our new Tetraline is a major step forward for Radnor Hills and reflects our commitment to ongoing innovation, efficiency and growth.
“The line allows us to produce more sustainably, using less energy while increasing output to meet rising customer demand, including exciting new partnerships such as our Disney collaboration.
“As we expand, having the right skills and the right people is crucial.
“The support from the Food & Drink Skills Wales Programme has been invaluable, particularly in helping us reach new candidates through the Food and Drink Jobs Wales noticeboard.”
The Welsh Government Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales programme dedicated Jobs Noticeboard can be viewed here.
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