Budding young chefs across the UK are being put through their paces on a work experience programme which gets them valuable on the job training at a national restaurant chain.
Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Taybarns and Whitbread Inns, a part of Whitbread PLC, wanted to develop an individual work experience opportunity for their restaurants by targeting people in schools and colleges with an interest in hospitality.
The business partnered with Springboard, a charity which focuses on advancement in life and education of young people under the age of 25, giving advice, training and skills courses in the hospitality industry. It hopes that by joining forces to encourage more people into kitchen jobs.
KickStart
Springboard’s flagship program KickStart is open to schools and college leavers (16+) who are undecided about their career plans and aims to help them in their career decision making.
Ten 16-24 year olds from Birmingham who joined the programme, received a week of industry related training before completing a two week work experience placement.
One of the young students who completed work experience at Brewers Fayre, Great Park, Rubery was Adam Branney who is 16 years old.
“I found out about KickStart from my teacher at school. I have been considering Hospitality for a while now and thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to explore the industry”.
Adam embraced the training week fully at UCB and thoroughly enjoyed learning the different knife skills and also the secret recipe to UCB’s Sticky Toffee Pudding.
“Over the last two weeks at Brewers Fayre, I’ve learnt how a kitchen functions and how to plate up various dishes. It has definitely improved my knowledge of the kitchen and improved my confidence. In the next 5 years I would love to be working in a kitchen full time”.
Adam has decided to go to UCB in September to study Professional Cookery Level 1.
If you are a student and want to get involved in some work experience within Whitbread Restaurants or alternatively if you are a teacher and looking for work experience placements for your students, please get in contact with Ruth at ruthb@springboarduk.org.uk or call 0207 921 0420 for more information.
For more information about Springboard click here