EMPLOYEES at a Bradford bakery changed their shifts and studied on their days off to improve their English language skills to help them in their work.

The course also helped two groups of workers at Speedibake on Cross Lane, Great Horton, whose first language is not English to boost their confidence with a better understanding of technical terms related to health and safety. and production.

The eight week Read, Speak, Spell programme was run by Barnsley College and training provider Skillspoint, focusing on technical language used in the students' work.

The programme is designed to develop reading, writing and speaking skills for those whose first language may not be English as well as building confidence and enable employees to break language barriers more easily and engage with colleagues, managers and visitors.

Christian Pedersen, Speedibake Bradford HR manager, said: “Both groups have come such a long way since starting the course. At their final assessment a presentation based on how they were able to communicate their work at Speedibake, the management team was amazed. Listening to them you could see their passion behind being part of the team along with their ability to be given a chance to learn and develop.

“As you can imagine presenting to a group of people can be intimidating at the best of times, especially if English is not your first language, but they were so calm and confident.

Sue Sykes, head of warehousing, logistics and workforce development at Barnsley College, added: “It’s important that our courses suit the needs of both the employer and the learners. The learners have done exceptionally well, thanks to the flexibility of the course and the tutor. It’s been fantastic to see these individuals grow and develop the confidence to show their skills.”

She praised the Speedibake students for their 100 per cent attendance on the course , which involved rearranging shifts or attending classes on their days off.

Speedibake employee also Ravinder Singh acted as a teaching assistant, supporting college tutors to break down language and cultural barriers to ensure a positive experience for the students .

Wakefield-based Speedibake, part of Associated British Foods, operates two Yorkshire bakeries and started 30 years ago. It supplies customers across channels, including foodservice wholesalers, contract catering, end users, export and retail.

The Bradford bakery produces a range of muffins, baguettes and French sticks while the Wakefield site specialises in doughnuts, custard tarts, mince pies, unbaked tart cases, sandwich baguettes and stone baked speciality breads.