Centre of excellence creates jobs - graduate jobs

Graduates looking to get a foot in the door of the food industry have been given a boost by the announcement of 250 new jobs being created in Scotland.

Dutch firm Vion is creating a "centre of excellence" at its West Lothian plant which will create 100 apprenticeships.

The move to create the 150 other new posts, and safeguard 1,000 existing roles, came after the firm was awarded £1.5 million by Scottish Enterprise and up to £500,000 from Skills Development Scotland.

Vion chief executive Ton Christiaanse said: "This investment not only demonstrates our confidence in the Hall's site but also in the Scottish pig farming sector, who are key partner suppliers to our business."

The move was welcomed by First Minister Alex Salmon, who said the move gave the Scottish economic future, and the Scottish workforce, a vote of confidence.

He said: "Job creation in the private sector is critical, particularly now. The latest figures show that employment increased by 23,000 in Scotland over the three months to July 2011, at a time when it fell by 69,000 across the UK as a whole."