Rob Tett's Process Leader Level 4 Story with Barfoots

Barfoots is a family-owned farming and food business specialising in fresh sweetcorn and speciality vegetables, with UK operations across the South Coast and farms and facilities around the world.

Founded by Peter Barfoot in 1976, the business has grown from a single crop in the Hampshire Basin into an international fresh produce operation known for quality, innovation and sustainability. Its long-standing philosophy, to “look after the land like you are going to farm forever,” continues to shape the way Barfoots thinks about farming, food production and long-term responsibility.

CQM Training & Consultancy has already worked closely with Barfoots to showcase the value of apprenticeships in the food and drink sector, including the recent Harvesting Talent from Within video case study, which explored Barfoots’ Food Industry Technologist Level 3 journey with CQM.

Rob Tett’s success story adds another layer to that relationship.

As Area Manager at Barfoots, Rob’s role is broad, practical and people focused. He describes his day-to-day responsibilities simply as “managing people, processes and quality.” In reality, this means leading across a busy production environment, supporting three direct-report supervisors and taking responsibility for wider teams working across a range of products and SKUs.

It is the kind of role where operational performance matters every day. But for Rob, the Process Leader Level 4 apprenticeship became about more than process improvement. It helped him understand himself as a leader, strengthen the way he supports people and build the tools to manage change more deliberately.

Rob had been interested in further education and development for some time before joining the programme.

“I’ve always said that if anybody offered me education, I’d snap their hand off,” he said.

Having worked at Barfoots for just over 10 years, including six years as a supervisor before moving into his Area Manager role, Rob was ready to keep developing. He was also clear about his ambition.

“I’m very ambitious,” he said. “I don’t intend to stay an Area Manager for the rest of my working life. I’d like to keep going up and up.”

The Process Leader Level 4 apprenticeship gave Rob a structured route back into learning. It also gave Barfoots a way to invest in someone already carrying significant operational responsibility, with the potential to keep progressing within the business.

For Rob, starting at Level 4 was the right step. He has since accepted a conditional offer to continue his development through Level 5 and Level 6 study in business leadership and management, but the apprenticeship gave him the confidence to re-enter formal learning and build from there.

“It was the right decision,” he said. “Especially towards the end, when it came to crunch time, Level 4 was enough to start on. I’m happy I didn’t go straight in at Level 6.”

The Process Leader Level 4 apprenticeship brings together leadership, management, continuous improvement, project delivery, health and safety, stakeholder engagement and workplace application.

For some learners, the strongest pull is the improvement methodology. For Rob, the leadership and management elements resonated most.

“The best part of my job is managing people,” he said. “When we were doing the leadership part in year one, I was really enjoying it.”

That experience helped Rob recognise something important about himself. He had always been someone who valued people, respected colleagues and used his personality to motivate others. But the programme gave him the opportunity to step back and understand that more clearly.

“It made me realise I had a core value I didn’t know I had towards working with people,” he said.

That self-awareness became one of the most important outcomes of the programme. Rob already cared about how people felt at work. He already believed in treating people well. He already understood that small behaviours, such as saying please and thank you, could make a difference in a busy production environment.

The apprenticeship helped him turn those instincts into more conscious leadership practice.

“Before, I could say I was able to motivate and inspire people through my natural character,” Rob explained. “Now I’ve got real models, tools and skills that I use day to day.”

For Rob, that distinction matters. He no longer sees leadership as something based only on personality. He has practical frameworks and approaches he can use when supporting people, managing conflict or adapting to different situations.

“I was dealing with a small conflict of opinion between two people yesterday,” he said. “I know a bit more what to do about this now, and I’m more comfortable in those situations.”

One of the clearest examples of Rob applying the learning has been in the way he manages change.

Before the apprenticeship, he admits his approach was more direct. If something needed to change, the message might simply have been: this is what we are doing now. The programme helped him add a deeper layer.

“When I introduce change now, I don’t just tell people what we’re doing,” he said. “I watch how they respond and think about what they need from me to help them get to acceptance.”

That reflection shows the leadership value of the programme in practice. Rob is not only thinking about the process change itself. He is thinking about the people affected by it, how they respond and what leadership style is needed to bring them with him.

That links closely to change curve thinking and situational leadership. Rather than treating everyone the same, Rob now considers where each person might be in their response to change and adapts his approach accordingly.

“I’ve put forward the change, but now I’m observing your response and your reaction,” he said. “That leads me to what I need to do next to get the change fully in effect and everybody on board.”

This has been particularly relevant in a production environment where changes to process, routine or standards can easily drift back if people do not understand the reason behind them or feel confident adopting the new way of working.

Rob’s workplace project focused on improving the efficiency of the butternut necks process in the High Care area.

Previously, the product was run as a batch process. A typical bulk order took around 17 hours to complete, with significant waiting time between stages. Rob saw an opportunity to move towards a better flow process, improving throughput, labour efficiency, product quality and customer satisfaction.

The project began with observation, but Rob did not want to stay at a distance from the work.

“I find a lot of improvement ideas when I get in the trenches with the troops,” he said. “You can stand and observe, but when you go and do it yourself, that’s when you notice the wasted movement.”

That hands-on approach helped him identify where product was being stacked, moved, restacked and left waiting. It reminded him of a previous role in another manufacturing business, where batch production had been necessary because of factory constraints. At Barfoots, he saw an opportunity to do something different.

“I was watching people cut the butternut necks and I got involved,” he said. “I thought, hang on, we’re stacking them up here, restacking them over there, then leaving them over there. Let’s get a flow process going.”

The results exceeded expectations.

The project delivered a 136.9% improvement in throughput on full production runs, significantly increasing capacity for the product while reducing waiting time and labour cost. Nearly 12 hours of waiting time were removed from the process, creating the potential for fresher product to reach the customer. Annual labour spend for the product reduced significantly, with an actual saving of £11,980 against an initial forecast saving of £2,080.

For Rob, there was also a simple aim behind the project. If Barfoots was investing in his development, he wanted the project to return value.

“The course was an investment in me,” he said. “I wanted a project that would pay that money back in the same time frame.”

Rob initially considered larger project ideas, including one that would have involved more significant equipment changes. His line manager and mentor, Allen Beardsley, helped him step back and focus on something more achievable.

Rob admits he was not fully convinced at first. The butternut necks project felt too simple. Looking back, he recognises that advice was right.

“Allen said, slow down Rob, tell me more about this idea. That seems more feasible,” Rob explained. “He was right, because getting this simple change in had so many variables and unforeseen challenges.”

That support was important throughout the programme. Rob described Allen as an excellent mentor who was always able to offer useful advice when he needed it.

“If you asked me who supported me on this project internally, I’d say Allen,” he said. “I only have positive words to say about the support I received from my manager and mentor during the whole two and a half years.”

That line manager involvement gave Rob practical guidance, challenge and encouragement. It also helped him select a project that was achievable within the apprenticeship, relevant to the business and valuable enough to make a measurable difference.

The project delivered clear operational benefits, but Rob is equally honest about the ongoing challenge: keeping the new process in place.

“People want to roll back,” he said. “It can feel easier the old way. The challenge now is keeping the standards in place, so we don’t revert back to what we were.”

That reflection is one of the strongest parts of Rob’s story. It shows that the apprenticeship has not simply given him tools to complete a project and pass assessment. It has strengthened the way he thinks about sustaining improvement.

The project is continuing beyond the end of the course, and Rob sees that as a positive thing. Improvement is not only about implementing a new process; it is about maintaining standards, supporting people through the change and making sure the new way becomes embedded.

That is where the leadership and improvement elements of the apprenticeship come together. The process can be redesigned, but people still need to understand it, accept it, work with it and keep it alive.

Rob completed the programme as part of an open cohort, learning alongside people from other organisations including AB World Foods, Cook Food and KMF.

He found value in the mix of different personalities, backgrounds and perspectives. He also recognised the role CQM Development Coach Alan Clark played in bringing the group together.

“Alan was the glue between all of us,” Rob said. “We were focused, but we also had a bit of fun. Everyone got on, and Alan held that together.”

Rob’s comments about the cohort are especially valuable because the programme was delivered largely online. He would have liked more in-person contact, but felt Alan kept the group engaged and involved throughout.

“Sometimes I’d be working from home, with lots of distractions around,” Rob said. “But I was never distracted. I was always back at my desk after the breaks when I should have been.”

He paused before describing the group. “I wouldn’t say we were well disciplined,” he said. “That’s not the right word. We were well engaged. People came back because they wanted to, not because they had to.”

One of the most distinctive parts of Rob’s interview was the way he spoke about British Values, which are an integral part of apprenticeship delivery in England.

Before the programme, he had heard the term but could not have confidently explained what it meant. Through the apprenticeship, and through Alan Clark’s delivery, the values became more meaningful.

For Rob, this was not about a tick-box topic. It was about the way Alan behaved, facilitated and created the learning environment.

“He’s a guru of the British Values,” Rob said. “They completely rubbed off on me from his attitude.”

Rob felt Alan created a respectful and inclusive space where people were comfortable contributing, even when they were unsure of the answer.

“Nobody was ever apprehensive about speaking to the group,” he said. “Alan generated that environment where we all felt comfortable and confident to put forward suggestions, ideas or answers in front of people we didn’t know.”

That safe and productive environment helped bring out the best in Rob.

“Alan’s approach brought out the best in me,” he said. “He inspired and motivated me. Spending that much time and learning that much from Alan has changed me as a person.”

For CQM, that is an important part of delivery. Technical knowledge matters, but the learning environment is critically important too. When people feel respected, included and able to contribute, they are more likely to engage honestly, reflect properly and apply the learning back in the workplace.

When asked what he would say to someone considering the Process Leader Level 4 apprenticeship, Rob’s response was immediate.

“Go and do it now,” he said. “You will learn things you’re not even aware exist.”

He is clear that the value is not only in the models, frameworks or terminology. It is in the way the programme changes how people think, respond and lead.

“It’s not just models and words on paper,” Rob said. “It changes the person you are, how you respond to things, how you react. I’ve matured through doing this programme, and that is reflected in my approach to leadership and management now.”

That maturity is visible in the way Rob talks about people. It is visible in how he thinks about change. It is visible in the way he wants to sustain standards rather than simply complete a project. It is also visible in the confidence he now has to keep learning.

He has already recommended the apprenticeship to others internally.

“There’s a colleague here who was thinking about it, a couple of them actually, and I’ve told them, go and do it – you won’t regret it,” he said.

Rob’s ambition is clear, but it is not only about moving quickly or chasing the next opportunity.

He wants to keep progressing at Barfoots. He would like to continue developing through further study. And he is keen to build the knowledge, experience and credibility to move into more senior leadership over time.

His inspiration comes partly from his father.

“My old man did it,” Rob said. “He started off as a milkman at Dairycrest. Twenty-five years later, he left the company as Managing Director.”

For Rob, that story reflects the kind of career journey he wants to build: long-term progression, loyalty and personal achievement within one organisation.

“I’ve been told loyalty is old school, and that I should be bouncing from company to company to climb ladders faster,” he said. “But I’ve got something I want to achieve, and I’d like to mirror my father and do it in one company.”

The Process Leader apprenticeship has helped Rob take another step towards that ambition. It has given him new knowledge, stronger leadership tools, practical project experience and a clearer understanding of himself.

For Barfoots, it has also delivered measurable operational value, strengthened leadership capability and supported the development of someone who wants to keep growing with the business.

That combination is what makes the Process Leader Level 4 apprenticeship valuable. It is not only about improving a process, completing a project or achieving a qualification. It is about developing people who can lead teams, manage change, build relationships, solve problems and turn learning into impact.

Rob’s story shows what that looks like in practice.

“I know I can do it,” he said. “Doing Level 4 has taught me things I didn’t know before. I’ll learn what others know, I’ll keep building my knowledge, and that knowledge will get me to where my ambition wants me to be.”

We at CQM would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rob on achieving his Level 4 apprenticeship qualification with a Distinction which has been thoroughly deserved and wish him the best of luck in achieving his future ambitions at Barfoots.

Would you like to find out more about our Process Leader Level 4 Programme?