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Digital Re-print - January| February 2011Going the distance:

Training the Milling Workforce in the Twenty-rst Century

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Since its formation in 1878, the National

Association of British and Irish Millers

(nabim) has been committed to the

development of skilled millers and has

placed a high priority on milling training.

For well over one hundred years, it has

been at the forefront of technical education

in flour milling, first within the British

Isles but also, since the mid-twentieth

century, across the world.

Nabim’s most well-known training provi-

sion is the distance learning programme,

delivered annually for around 80 years, and

still lovingly known as the ‘correspondence

courses’ or ‘City and Guilds’ by many former 

students, the latter despite the fact that the

association with City and Guilds of London

ended almost a decade ago.

In the current session, there are almost

750 enrolments; only one-third of students

are based in Europe. The two-thirds bal-

ance come from many different countries

across the globe: Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt

and Sudan; Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and

Zambia; Lesotho, South Africa and Namibia;

  the United Arab Emirates; Japan, Malaysia,

Indonesia and Vietnam; Australia, New

Zealand and Fiji; Canada and the West

Indies. Students from many other countries

have featured in recent years.

Already seeking to serve several functions

- an introduction to the industry, building

knowledge and understanding of the industry 

and its processes, refresher training etc - and

 to cater for students of very different aca-

demic backgrounds, the wide diversity of stu-

dent nationality adds to the challenge facing

nabim and its teams of tutors and examiners.

It is a challenge we are glad to meet.Offered annually, the course year running

from September to May, this distance-learn-

ing course is studied in seven modules, pro-

viding a complete overview of flour milling.

Each module is subject to rolling review and

so a new edition of each module textbook 

is issued every five years or so, keeping it

fresh and up to date. This material is sup-

plemented

by additional

informa-

  tion circu-

lated with the

year’s lessons.

Module

one covers

health and

safety, includ-

ing risk assess-ment and the

prevention of 

fire and dust

explosions,

and hygiene,

including an introduction to pests and the

prevention of infestation.

 Wheat is the focus of Module two, which

looks at its st ructure, growth and production,

before moving on to the intake, cleaning and

preparation of wheat in the screenroom.

Module three addresses the modern

flour milling operation, its machinery and

processes and the importance of achieving

mill balance and improving mill performance.

Module four looks at various aspects of 

product handling, storage and distribution;

flour blending, packing, warehousing, loading

and infestation control.

Flour itself is the subject of module five,

discussing functionality and types of flour 

commonly milled, flour treatments, quality 

measurement and control, laboratory tests

and flour uses.

Power and automation is the focus of 

module six, covering a range of topics frommechanical and pneumatic conveying to

instrumentation and process control.

In the seventh and final module, mill

management is addressed, including a back-

ground to the global flour milling industry 

and market, commercial and operations

management, and the miller’s responsibility 

  to protect the product, environment and

people.

For each module, the student is allo-

cated one tutor, an expert in their field,

who will provide guidance and advice on

  the coursework. Assessment is by written

examination at the end of the course year.

 When students have successfully completed

all seven modules, they are awarded nabim’s

Advanced Certificate in Flour Milling. (See

  the nabim website, www.nabim.org.uk, for 

further details, including course fees.)Though the distance-learning programme

continues to be successful, nabim is continu-

ously seeking new ways to improve its train-

ing provision. For example, students often

find it difficult to understand what is going

on within the closed milling process. nabim

is currently embarked on a pilot project,

developing online training material on the

workings of the 1st break rollermill and plan-

sifter, using video, animation, demonstration

and commentary. It is hoped this will go live

for nabim’s members during the first half of 

2011, and later be made available to distance

learning students.

This is by no means nabim’s only initiative

by Nigel Bennett (Secretary, nabim, United Kingdom)

“The development of units which conform

with the UK’s national qualification

and credit framework should provide

employers with the basis on which to

ensure the retention of milling skills, andemployees with proof of skills transferrable

to other companies and sectors”

Going the distanceTraining the Milling 

Workforce in the Twenty-first Century 

Gi&fd milliG tcholoG28 | January - february 2011

FEATURE

of recent years. At the request of its member 

companies, nabim - in partnership with both

  the Buhler Training Centre in Switzerland

and Campden BRI - developed a new

  training programme, very different to the

distance learning provision. The Advanced

Milling Diploma programme was launched

in 2006, is run just once every three years,

and is aimed at developing the future opera-

  tions management of the milling industry.

Applications for the next intake will be

sought in early 2012.

Restricted to a maximum of ten can-

didates, the Diploma involves two resi-

dential weeks at Chipping Campden and

Uzwil, studying the first two units of three,‘Technical’ and ‘Production’. The cereals sci-

ence syllabus put together by Campden BRI

is very demanding but provides candidates

with the necessary fundamental understand-

ing of functionality which aids them both in

  the practical milling week at Buhler and in

 their third unit, in which they undertake their 

own research project and produce a report

which is independently assessed. From an

induction day through to final interview and

result takes each candidate approximately 18

months - and they have their full-time jobs

 to do as well!

To date, whilst there has been some

interest from abroad, all Diploma candidates

have been employed in UK flour mills.

There is, however, no reason why this

should not change next year;

candidates will be chosen

on experience, qualifications,

ability and potential, not on

geography.

Finally, another recent

development in nabim’s

  training arm has been of 

proficiency qualifications in

milling. Based largely on

both the distance learning

programme and nabim’s

‘old’ craft skills certificate,

  these are new vocational

qualifications which test

practical competenceas well as underpinning

knowledge and under-

standing. The development

of units which conform with the UK’s

national qualification and credit frame-

work should provide employers with the

basis on which to ensure the retention of 

milling skills, and employees with proof 

of skills transferrable to other companies

and sectors.

These new qualifications are only just

coming on stream, under the umbrella of 

awarding organisation FDQ - but the work 

for nabim does not stop there. We are now

seeking to ensure that delivery of the new

units is properly milling-focused (as opposed

  to a generic food manufacture approach)

and consideration is being given to develop-

ing relationships with colleges and/or other 

established training providers so that delivery 

is concentrated on the key milling skills and

understanding.

So whilst nabim can happily point to a

strong history of milling training, it can also

demonstrate that its face is very much point-

ed towards the future. Especially within the

UK, where the industry is highly rationalised,

automated and capital-intensive, with a small

and (whisper it softly) ageing workforce, this

is absolutely vital for the continued success

of the milling industry itself.

Flour Milling TrainingSeven Steps to Success 

 – Hygiene, Health and Safety

 – Wheat and the Screenroom

 – Mill Processes and Performance

 – Product Handling, Storage and Distribution

 – Flour 

 – Power and Automation

 – Flour Milling Management

Course Fees

The cost per module is: £295

(as at 2010 – VAT at 17.5% where applicable)

includes postage, textbook and exam registration

nabim Members: Discount £95 per module (£200)

Non-UK Companies: Discount £50 per module (£245)

7 Modular Courses provide millers with an essential understanding and

underpinning knowledge of the milling industry.

An indispensable tool for those new to the milling industry and for 

developing the skills of the competent miller.

Dedicated tutor support given to every student, providing professional

guidance throughout the course year.

21 Arlington StreetLondon SW1A 1RN, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7493 2521Fax: +44 (0) 20 7493 6785

email: info@nabim.org.uk

• Enhance your 

career prospects

and increase

potential

• Internationally

recognised

distance learning

programme

• Developed

for millers

by industry

professionals

• Studied every

year by hundreds

of millers

worldwide

Gi&fd milliG tcholoG January - february 2011 | 29

FEATURE

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