The programme is run under National Apprenticeship guidelines and has been created to attract people into the foodservice sector.
Marion Speed, learning and development manager for Wilson Vale, explained:” Our goal is to develop talent by providing candidates with the necessary craft skills, confidence and self-belief to maximise their potential within this sector.
”We view it as a wonderful opportunity to give people that first step into hospitality but also as a way of immersing people into our culture and our way of doing things in the hope that they will stay with us and grow.”
The programme includes workshops, one-to-one training sessions and peer mentoring over the course of a year, and it has attracted two candidates to date. Wilson Vale hopes to take on five new apprentices each year.
Wilson Vale has also launched The Wilson Vale’s Chef Managers Academy in association with Babcock Training. This initiative offers every chef within the business the opportunity to step up to a managerial level through NVQ Level 3 training.
Wilson Vale currently employs 600 people across 85 diverse catering operations nationwide.