On Wednesday Compass Group UK & Ireland organised a careers lab and culinary insights event, which saw 22 students taking part in sensory, taste and cooking demonstrations as well as working on CV building, interview and work skills. The week’s activities finished with eight apprentice chefs taking part in a ‘chef challenge’, where they showcased everything they had learnt so far by creating and producing two of their own dishes.
Judges included Nick Vadis, UK Executive Chef, Compass Group UK & Ireland and last year’s winner Emmanuel Mabika who is part of Compass’ culinary team. The apprentices were supported through the event by their workplace mentors, with the winner being announced as Monique Smith.
Fiona Ryland, HR Director, Compass Group UK & Ireland commented: “National Apprenticeship Week is a great opportunity to champion our young talent and the fantastic apprenticeship opportunities that our business offers.
"We’re committed to equipping people with the right skills and opportunities to develop their future careers and apprenticeships are a great way to support the young talent in the industry, giving them the tools and knowledge to start them on an exciting career path.”
National Apprenticeship Week, co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, acknowledges the level of success that learners can achieve through apprenticeships, as well as the impact they can have on individuals, businesses and the wider community.
Throughout the week Compass Group UK & Ireland championed their apprenticeships through a series of ‘back to the floor’ days, where senior colleagues worked alongside apprentices in order to share experiences and knowledge with each other.
Compass Group UK & Ireland launched its apprenticeship programme in 2006 and offers a comprehensive learning and development curriculum, including apprenticeships currently running in hospitality, professional cookery, facilities management, security, team leading and more. As a business they have offered almost 2500 apprenticeships over the past three years.
In the summer of 2015 Compass Group UK & Ireland is launching a second intake of Chef Academy Apprentices, providing 20 chefs the opportunity to join the business. Compass is also piloting traineeships to support individuals with work skills and to provide them with insight into a career as a chef.