CH&CO’s venues and workplace businesses, Venues by CH&CO, Gather & Gather and Vacherin, partnered with social enterprise Well Grounded to offer the free Specialty Barista Traineeship programme to unemployed Londoners. Over the duration of the programme the graduates gained knowledge to help them grow and thrive in the coffee industry.
Rob Fredrickson, managing director for CH&CO Leisure, who spoke at the graduation ceremony said: “A very big thank you to our partners Well Grounded who have supported the graduates throughout their traineeship. This is the fourth cohort of barista graduates that we’ve celebrated together and there’s no doubt that this inclusive programme changes lives.
“It’s a great way to link those with barriers to employment with an industry looking for talent and we look forward to progressing our partnership and continuing to make a positive difference.”
The partnership is part of CH&CO’s ongoing commitment to raising the profile of hospitality as an ‘exciting and rewarding career opportunity’.
Mike Rogers, Interim chief executive at Well Grounded, added: “Our traineeship programme is designed to support individuals with a range of barriers to employment through a structured, personalised learning programme – based around technical barista skills but supplemented with soft skills and employability coaching.
“These, along with the work placements and into work support allow the trainees to grow and become confident in their future roles. We are excited to see their progress for the future.”