Council signs up for Triple A to raise cooking standards

Thirteen cooks employed by the council have joined the first wave of learners across Wales recruited for the Applied Ability Awards programme, known as the Triple A. Eight of the cooks, who work in the council's seven care homes and two day centres, are being mentored by their cook supervisor, Gaynor Davies. She is one of 30 Triple A mentors recruited across Wales so far this year. Fully funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, the programme is being driven by award-winning training provider Cambrian Training Company and managed by Tourism Training for Wales. It aims to guide up to 180 chefs and cooks to achieve Applied Ability Awards at either Foundation or Chef level over the next two years through on-the-job training and mentorship followed by a practical exam. The independent qualifications for professional chefs and cooks are designed and delivered by the industry to provide national benchmarks that will define, develop and promote craft skills. Learners have access to an online bilingual virtual chef channel to support the learning aims for developing practical skills, using video streaming. Gaynor who leads more than 40 cooks, is confident Triple A will raise cooking standards by improving cooking skills. "I think it's an excellent programme because it focuses on practical experience and developing the skills of cooks and chefs," she said. "I would definitely recommend the programme because it's interesting and gives cooks access to online learning and cookery demonstrations, which they all enjoy. "With ever more rules and regulations being introduced to the catering and hospitality industry, I think it's very important for cooks to gain new qualifications and improve their skills and experience." Triple A co-ordinator Ruth Morris is keen to sign up more businesses and learners for the programme before the end of this year. "Everybody who is participating is exceedingly positive about Triple A," she said. "It's a great opportunity for establishments to show faith in their business by benchmarking their chefs and cooks. With the programme being fully funded, learners and businesses have nothing to lose and everything to gain." Mrs Morris can be contacted on Tel: 07989 470899 or by e-mail at Ruthm@cambriantraining.com