Congratulations to the students from the food and drink industry who have successfully completed IGD's flagship courses this year: the Postgraduate Certificate in Food and Grocery Industry Management and the Foundation Certificate in Management.

Listed on the right are the students who performed best. Next week their achievements will be recognised when they are awarded prizes at the 16th annual IGD Food Industry Awards ceremony, which will be held on Tuesday (10 October) at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel.

The UK food and grocery industry has 3.5 million employees, so competent managers are always in demand.

The postgraduate certificate equips students with the skills and knowledge to help them build their career and improve individual performance.

The course is validated by the University of Edinburgh and tutored by industry experts. It comprises five compulsory units and one optional unit, all of which are studied over one year.

Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD, says: "In the food and grocery industry, employers are looking for people who stand out from the crowd.

"It is important throughout a career to develop the right skills and knowledge and gain experience. At IGD we are looking to develop well-rounded managers for the future. Our business learning opportunities are ideal for ambitious managers, whether new to the industry or not."

She adds: "This year's roll of honour shows the breadth of companies that send their people to IGD to learn more about the industry.

"The participants have all worked very hard to achieve their qualifications, and we must not forget that the studying is in parallel to doing a full day's work. I certainly extend my personal congratulations to them all."