Sector skills council, People 1st, and Tragus Group, one of the largest casual dining groups in the UK, and owners of Café Rouge, Bella Italia, Strada and Belgo, have announced a partnership that will help unemployed people find work.
Employment academies
The partnership will see People 1st work closely with the Tragus team to run ‘employment academies’, which will provide job seekers with the skills they need to work in the hospitality industry.
Martine Pullen, head of pre-employment and apprenticeships at People 1st, said that it was fantastic to work with Tragus:
“Tragus has some fantastic brands and is a huge operation throughout the UK, so we’re absolutely thrilled to be working in partnership with them. The level of support throughout the organisation has been amazing – every level of the operation has really been able to see the benefits our work can bring.”
Liaising with restaurant managers and local JobCentre Plus
People 1st’s work with Tragus will involve liaising directly with restaurant managers and local JobCentre Plus operations to identify unemployed people, and then train them so that they have the skills needed to work in the hospitality industry, and match them with local job opportunities.
Guaranteed job interview on completion of training
Sara Edwards, group human resources director at Tragus, said:
“The new partnership will provide fantastic opportunities both for Tragus and all programme participants. We know that people who are trained through the programme People 1st uses – Employment 1st – have the skills we want and need, so we will guarantee an interview to anyone who completes it.
“The employment academies are in the best interests of the company, but we’re also really happy that we’ll be giving something back to the industry and local communities. By supporting a programme that gives people the skills to work in hospitality, we’re helping make sure that the industry as a whole benefits from a better trained workforce.”
Tragus plans to use the employment academies to help as part of meeting its future recruitment needs.
More information about employment academies, the training available and how to get involved click here
About People 1st
People 1st is the sector skills council for the hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism industries focusing on transforming skills in the sector through the development of world class qualifications in management and leadership, customer service and craft skills. The People 1st Training Company is focused on developing training products that meet the skills needs of employers in the industry.
About Tragus Group
Tragus Group Limited (“Tragus”) is one of the largest casual dining restaurant chain operators in the UK, with 299 sites across the country serving over 21 million meals every year. Tragus operates primarily under the Café Rouge, Bella Italia, Strada and Belgo formats in the UK.
For more information about the Tragus Group click here