It is often joked that students leave university or college with an additional qualification – in drink.

But soon students at West Suffolk College will actually be able to gain an apprenticeship in brewing, which could lead onto a job with major Suffolk firms, Adnams and Greene King.

The Apprenticeship in Brewing Industry Skills is currently being developed to help meet the needs of the industry.

West Suffolk College principal Nikos Savvas said: “We are delighted to be introducing this new apprenticeship framework providing career opportunities within such an important industry for the region.”

The college is aiming to start the programme in September with a course suitable for students looking to break into the brewing industry as well as current employees who would like in-service training.

Chris Houlton, managing director of Greene King brewing & brands, said: “We have been brewing in Bury St Edmunds for over 200 years, with many generations of families crafting our beers for the people of Suffolk.

“So it is great to be able to help create new generations of brewers in our home town.”

Sadie Lofthouse, head of human resources at Adnams, said: “A course like this would be perfect for us as we are often looking for new people to join our teams and maybe become the brewers of the future.

“Our brewing team has an awful lot of knowledge and experience that it would be great to pass on to apprentices.”

Conservative parliamentary candidate Jo Churchill arranged the meeting of Adnams and Greene King with the college.