Management Development Services was set up by a group of farmers with the aim of increasing management skills for young people in the food industry. After completing a two year graduate traineeship run by MDS, Jenny Wood got a job at Asda, the only external recruit in that particular intake to join the multiple as a regional quality manager. And fellow student Tristan Kitchener was also successful. He now works for Sainsbury as a new product manager. MDS's members include companies across the whole spectrum from Sainsbury, Tesco, to Fyffes and Vitacress, who fund the graduate trainee positions. Thirty graduates a year are recruited to the two year course. They are paid a salary and are given four six month placements at any one of the sponsor companies, where they cover all aspects of the supply chain. Kitchener joined up because he wanted to experience many different roles before plumping for one. "We didn't choose where we went for the placements, but by the time we finished we'd covered all aspects of the supply chain," he said. "Joining the MDS scheme is a great way to experience a number of different roles to gain focus on a particular career path," he added. And while the emphasis was on learning, the jobs were for real. "We were given a role and expected to produce results," she stressed. Wood has been earmarked for fast-track promotion at Asda: "There is no way I would have found a job at this level without the background at MDS. "It's made me stronger personally and professionally." {{PEOPLE MOVES }}

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