An East Anglian food factory has welcomed secondary school students to its site as part of a programme aimed at offering youngsters insights into the world of work.

Chicken giant 2 Sisters invited pupils from Thetford Academy to its breaded chicken plant in the town, which opened in 2011 following a £30m investment, as part of food and grocery charity IGD’s Feeding Britain’s Future programme. The Thetford site was the first new coated protein factory of its size in the UK for almost 10 years.

2 Sisters, one of Britain’s largest food manufacturers, is owned by ‘chicken king’ Ranjit Singh Boparan, who also owns East Anglia-based turkey giant Bernard Matthews through a separate arm, Boparan Private Office.

The 2 Sisters flagship food factory put on a training session for the year 11 students and provided them with an insight into the diverse career opportunities that are available.

Nicola Sharpe, HR business partner at 2 Sisters Thetford, said the schools partnership had enabled the firm to cultivate a stronger relationship with the school and showcase career opportunities to pupils.

“The IGD’s Feeding Britain’s Future initiative provides us with the platform to help young people develop their transferrable skills and identify the food sector as a serious career opportunity with exciting prospects,” she said.

“At 2 Sisters we strive to lead the way in producing products of the best quality. This brings with it endless opportunities in different roles from technical to new product development, from engineering to commercial.”

Beverley Andrew, an instructor at Thetford Academy, said: “This type of employer-led activity helps our students better understand the world of work and offers a useful insight into the skills required to succeed.

“I’d like to thank 2 Sisters Thetford and IGD for organising the event and congratulate the students for successfully completing their level two food hygiene course.”

IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch said the School Partnerships initiative, which has trained 24,000 students and is now in its second year, was already having a big impact. “Some 81% of students that took part in the initiative last year agreed that the workshop helped prepare them for the world of work,” she said.