Nutrition Skills For Life™
NUTRITION SKILLS FOR LIFE™ is an all Wales programme of quality assured nutrition skills training and initiatives developed and co-ordinated by dietitians working in the NHS. The programme aims to support a wide range of community workers to promote healthy eating and incorporate food and nutrition skills into their work.
The programme aims to train those who work closely with, and understand the needs of local people, to support communities across Wales to learn more about healthy eating. There are two key aspects to the nutrition training.
Nutrition skills training for community workers
Agored Cymru accredited Level 2 Community Food and Nutrition Skills training enables them to promote key healthy eating messages focussing on the eatwell plate. It also teaches practical skills such as budgeting, shopping for healthy foods, understanding food labels and how to adapt recipes. This course is attended by those who plan to deliver healthy eating initiatives such as practical cooking skills or community weight management programmes as part of their work.
Level 2 Nutrition skills training courses for community workers:
| Course | Aim |
| Community Food and Nutrition Skills Course (Level 2, 3 credits) | Enable community workers to cascade evidence based, consistent food and nutrition messages to community participants and to deliver Level 1 accredited courses. |
| Community Food and Nutrition Skills for the Early Years (Level 2, 2 credits) | Enable early years practitioners to cascade evidence based, consistent food and nutrition messages to children and families and improve food and drink provision in their setting. |
| Food and Nutrition Skills for Those Providing Care (Level 2, 1 credit) & Improving Food and Nutrition Care (Level 2, 1 credit) | Enable staff working with vulnerable older adults to improve food and drink provision for those in their care and prevent malnutrition. |
Healthy eating initiatives with community groups
The Public Health Dietetic team support those who have completed the Level 2 Community Food and Nutrition Skills Course to plan, implement and evaluate healthy eating initiatives with communities they work with. This can include delivery of the accredited Level 1 courses in the following table.
NUTRITION SKILLS FOR LIFE™ Level 1 courses for community groups:
| Course | Aim |
| Community Food and Nutrition Skills (Level 1, 1 credit) | Enable individuals to make healthy and sustainable food choices and gain credit for learning. |
| Get Cooking – Cooking for Health (Level 1, 2 credits) | Enable participants to prepare healthy, safe, economical meals for themselves and their families using a variety of cooking methods and to gain credit for learning (see ‘Get Cooking’). |
| Foodwise for Life—(Weight Management Programme for Individuals) (Level 1, 2 credits) | Enable participants to manage their own weight (see ‘Foodwise for Life’). |
NUTRITION SKILLS FOR LIFE™ training is incorporated into national programmes including Flying Start, Families First and Communities First and supports the implementation nutrition components of the national Healthy and Sustainable Pre School Scheme, Welsh Network of Healthy Schools Scheme and Nutrition in Community Settings Pathway.
In 2014, NUTRITION SKILLS FOR LIFE™ was awarded the Public Health Wales Good Practice Award and won an NHS Wales Award for Promoting Better Health and Avoiding Disease and the UK Bevan Prize for Health and Wellbeing.