Tuesday, 11 July 2023
An academic from the University of Nottingham who has been instrumental in the establishment and delivery of a brewing apprenticeship programme has been named Brewer of the Year.
Assistant Professor, Rod White from the School of Biosciences is based at the International Centre of Brewing Science and was named the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group ‘Brewer of the Year’ and received his award at a ceremony in the heart of Westminster.
Rod was recognised for his technical brewing experience and his knowledge, enthusiasm and advocacy for the brewing sector. He is a key player in the success of the National Brewing Level 4 Apprenticeship program based at the University of Nottingham and is passionate about securing the future sustainability of the industry.
Rod has over 20 years of experience in the multi-national brewing industry; principally based out of Burton-on-Trent with the Bass/Molson Coors brewing company and including spells as Group Production and Quality Standards Manager and Process Development Lead Europe. In 2017 Rod joined the University of Nottingham as an Assistant Professor, helping to deliver Masters level Brewing education. A naturally engaging educator, Rod is passionate about the development of young professionals for the industry and helps students with employability skills and finding the right job following graduation.
Rod worked in partnership with Hospitality Industry Training (HIT) and the Institute of Brewing & Distilling to develop the UK Level 4 Brewing Apprenticeship training program. Rod co-ordinates and delivers much of the practical training for this program, hosted at the University of Nottingham. The program has been a huge success and is currently training around 75 new industry recruits per year.
Winning Brewer of the Year is a huge honour and represents the work of a group of people hugely dedicated to delivering high quality brewing education. It is a great privilege to be trusted by the industry to train the next generation of brewers. I would like to give my profound thanks to those from the industry and the University of Nottingham that have shared their time and expertise with the students. If the future of our industry is based on the quality of talent coming through, then we are very well prepared for the challenges ahead.
Professor David Cook, Head of Division of Microbiology, Brewing and Biotechnology at the University of Nottingham added: “Rod is a popular and hugely deserving recipient of this award. We are delighted to see recognition of his contributions to the industry over many years. Rod has a huge technical knowledge and enthusiasm for brewing which is infectious and makes him a natural educator.
Rod works tirelessly to bring people together to address key issues for the industry and has an almost unique visibility and respect across the UK sector, which is reflected in his nomination for this award. His development and leadership of the Apprenticeship training program at Nottingham has been a huge success and has helped the HIT progamme to become the only nationally recognised Brewing Apprenticeship provider.
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More information is available from Rod White on Rod.White@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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