The Countess of Wessex visited South Gloucestershire today to see how food and grocery companies are helping unemployed people find out more about the range of jobs available within the industry.

Local unemployed people got the chance to practise their interview skills with Her Royal Highness as she took part in a Feeding Britain’s Future (FBF) Skills for Work Month workshop at the family-owned Marshfield Bakery in Dyrham.

This is part of a national campaign led by the food and grocery research and training charity IGD to help prepare thousands of schoolchildren, young people and the wider unemployed for the world of work.

Chris Smith, director of Marshfield Bakery, said: “We were honoured to host Her Royal Highness at the Feeding Britain’s Future (FBF) session at our bakery and introduce her to some of the local unemployed people who have benefited from taking part in the programme.

"We’ve been a big supporter of FBF since the start and are really excited to take part again this year.

"It gives us all an enormous buzz to see the eyes of the people at the workshops light up when they tour the bakery and begin to realise the range of opportunities available in the food industry.

"They leave with smiles and positivity with ideas to help them take a fresh view of the options available to them.”

Participants had the opportunity to see how the bakery is run and learn about the wide variety of roles available in the industry such as engineering, food science, marketing or merchandising.

They also received employability skills training, such as help with writing standout CVs, as well as the chance to try their hand at practical jobs such as flapjack making.

This year, IGD also launched its Feeding Britain’s Future Schools Programme.

This has seen major food and grocery companies go into schools throughout 2015 with the aim of inspiring 5,000 pupils about the industry and the world of work.

This has seen food and grocery leaders across the whole supply chain, including IGD President Andy Clarke, going back to schools to stimulate the next generation.

Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD chief executive, said: "It was great to have The Countess of Wessex attend one of our Feeding Britain’s Future (FBF) workshops and get an understanding of the positive work that the programme is achieving.

"Now in its fourth year, we are expanding the FBF programme. A further 17,000 workshop places are being offered across the UK and this will bring the cumulative total to nearly 60,000 opportunities for unemployed people and schoolchildren by the end of 2015.

“As Britain’s largest private sector employer, with 3.8m people, our industry is working together to use its scale to have a significant positive impact. We are helping thousands of people by raising awareness of the diverse range of careers available within food and grocery and providing employability skills training.”