Now in its fourth year, the Institute of Hospitality’s Passion 4 Hospitality (P4H) Student Careers Forum takes place on Monday 17 March 2014 at University College Birmingham, and brings hospitality management students face-to-face with prospective employers. This year’s event comprises the exciting live student debating competition, a contest to manage a virtual hotel business, and a careers forum packed with expert advice and information.
Case Study – Simrian Kaur
Simrian Kaur, was a runner-up with the London Metropolitan University team last year. She graduated last summer and is now working in foodservice for BaxterStorey, in a job that she “really loves.”
Before attending the P4H debate, Simrian had researched BaxterStorey and was impressed with what she learned about the company. She also received information about who was judging the competition and knew that one of the judges, Thomas Kilroy MIH, was a BaxterStorey manager.
“P4H was a huge platform and I knew what I wanted to get out of it. I wanted to get a real understanding of BaxterStorey. A website can only tell you so much, but a person who works for the company can tell you much more about what it’s really like day-to-day,” she says.
Simrian’s team intelligently tailored their presentation with the judges’ careers and positions in mind. She mentioned BaxterStorey during the presentation and saw Thomas’s face light up.
“It was great to see that spark in his eye and see that he was someone who genuinely loves what he does,” she remembers.
As a result of meeting Thomas, Simrian was offered a six-week trial as part of BaxterStorey’s graduate management scheme which she “absolutely loved” and now she is a graduate trainee manager.
“I started in the kitchen which gave me a real understanding of what the chefs do; then I did supervisory front-of-house work in the staff restaurant and currently I’m doing events management. Next I’ll be doing stock management and HR. I am getting a real grasp of all areas of the business in one site,” she says.
Sponsors of P4H include Harbour & Jones, Gram UK, University College Birmingham, Yummy Jobs and Fresh Montgomery.
Businesses that wish to attend P4H, please contact Jeff Duah-Kessie
Tel: 020 8661 4900
Email: p4h@instituteofhospitality.org
P4H is FREE to attend for students, but registration is required.
Register at: www.formstack.com/forms/hospitality-p4h