CATERING apprenticeships are hot news at Buxton & Leek College this spring as kitchens all over the district are lining up to take on new trainees.
No less than 14 local pubs, restaurants and hotels have contacted the college to try and fill vacancies in their kitchens with another four wanting front of house staff to train `on the job` and via day release at the Buxton Campus of the college.
Kath Ferns, the College’s Employer Engagement Officer, said: “As fast as I am filling vacancies, we are getting new enquiries from local catering outlets interested in taking on another apprentice.
“It’s a great opportunity for a school leaver to get some hands-on experience and learn a trade which could take him or her all over the world. I fear that some would-be applicants might be put off by the thought of unsociable hours but working in catering does not necessarily involve evening work. We have several local tearooms and café’s that are looking to take on apprentices this spring.”
Buxton & Leek College’s catering apprentices have enjoyed considerable success in recent years – 22-year-old Daniel Harrison went from selling pies to football fans at his local stadium to serving fine wines to guests at one of the world’s best luxury hotels.
Daniel, from Meir Park in Stoke-on-Trent, is aiming to travel the world after his training at Buxton and Leek College put him on the path to success with a job at the five star Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. Daniel, who is employed as Chef de Rang – an assistant head waiter – helps to create the theatre and atmosphere in the hotel’s fine dining restaurant doing flambés at the table and advising diners on fine wines to accompany their food.
Other catering apprentices have gone on to enjoy a life at sea working with both the Navy and on cruise ships, the apprenticeship route allows the opportunity earn and learn `on the job` while completing formal training within one of the college’s seven industry standard kitchens and fine dining restaurant which is open to the general public.
Apprenticeships are open to anyone aged 16 or above who hold a minimum of grade C in either Maths or English. They’re a great way to gain a recognised qualification whilst working in a real job and earning a wage. Buxton & Leek College has a number of apprenticeship vacancies such as childcare, business administration, motor vehicle mechanics, warehousing & logistics and mineral processing.
To find out more check out the college website at www.blc.ac.uk/apprenticeships/apprenticeship-vacancies.