About Us

The Food Technology Centre at North Nottinghamshire College, a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE), is a unique facility providing services, Education and Training for the Food Manufacturing Industry.
Students are provided with the opportunity of learning in an up-to-date realistic working environment, with state of the art facilities. The Centre also houses ‘Graville’s Restaurant’, which has a fine reputation for exceptional food, service and value for money.

Industry is able to access the Centre’s technical facilities and expertise in order to carry out e.g. New Product Development, Preparation of samples for supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrison’s, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. Product and Packaging Trials and Taste Panels. Kitchens, Processing Hall and Taste Panel (complete with software) are all available for hire, at very competitive rates, with or without Technical Support.

Now in our third year in the Centre, many leading Food Manufacturing companies have made successful use of the facilities.
The staff working in and from the Centre are all industry professionals and will deliver training or services and support to suit customers needs, so if it’s training on the Sunday night shift you need – this is not a problem to us!
Staff in the Centre work closely with Sheffield Hallam, Lincoln and Nottingham Trent Universities, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association and a number of equipment manufacturers who also use the Centre as a shop window for their products, bringing their prospective customers here on a regular basis. For example, Multipond use the processing hall to demonstrate their depositors to many prospective customers.

The inclusion of Catering & Hospitality in the Centre and the recently built link from the Centre to the College Conference Suite also enables us to offer fully serviced conference facilities at competitive prices. We will also cater for smaller meetings within the Centre itself.
In order to encourage young people into the rapidly expanding Food Industry we welcome groups of School children and Teachers to take part in activities at the Centre either as a ‘taste of the industry’ or specific activities in support of coursework.

The Food Technology Centre is one of several Centres in the UK running the Young Apprenticeship in Food Manufacturing, which is aimed at pupils aged 14-16 years. We are supported in this by local Food Manufacturing Companies who ensure that these young people get a real taste of work.
We now look forward to the introduction of the Specialised Diploma in Manufacturing (Food Manufacturing), which provides progression from the Young Apprenticeship or direct entry.

Responding to the Market
The Food sector, in order to respond to new trends in the eating habits and styles of its customers, has to be able to develop, trial and launch new products very quickly. This means employing staff who are trained and qualified in new product development.

The Food Technology Centre is a centre of vocational excellence (CoVE) and is able to provide premises, equipment, expertise, consultancy and training to support the food manufacturing industry in all of these activities.