The Savoy Educational Trust helps open specialist skills kitchen

Speaking about the kitchen at New College Nottingham, chief executive of the Savoy Educational Trust, Julia Sibley, said: "The Trustees knew that the new facility would benefit not just the present students but also future generations to come. One of the key elements of the project that stood out was the environmental aspect of the new facility as the Trustees are extremely keen to support and encourage environmentally friendly and energy efficient projects. "Whilst talking to the students at New College Nottingham you are reminded of how vital it is for them to have industry standard facilities to learn in whilst at college. It's a great motivator and keeps them enthused about the profession. Projects such as the Educational Trust Skills Suite' at New College Nottingham is a very good example of demonstrating how the Trust can encourage and nurture talent." Sacha McCarthy, head of school for Food, Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism at New College Nottingham explained what the old kitchen was like: "Previously an old larder kitchen, we needed to renovate and re-design the area to ensure we complied with the new curriculum needs. We'd worked with the Savoy Educational Trust in the past for bursaries and advanced apprenticeships on behalf of our students, and were delighted when we got confirmation that we would be receiving financial help towards the cost of the skills kitchen. "The existing kitchen was extremely outdated and didn't meet the necessary guidelines for equipment and wasn't environmentally friendly. We moved away from turning a switch on in the morning – with the equipment firing up and being on throughout the day – to an environment that provided better working conditions for the students, and a long term energy efficiency gain for the College."