Case Study: Hospitality and Catering
Headlam Hall has been cooking up a storm in their restaurant with the help of an apprentice from Darlington College.
David Jackson, Director of Operations at Headlam Hall, was initially contacted by the Business First team who suggested that recruiting an apprentice could be an ideal solution to avoid a possible skills shortage and train an employee to become an expert in their field.
‘The professional advice that I received from Darlington College about training was invaluable, they assisted me in recruiting Louise and made it very clear to us both about how an apprenticeship works.’
‘In the time Louise has been working for us she has had the opportunity to be taught by our chefs who have many years experience in perfecting the best English and Continental cuisine, whilst at college she is learning the essentials of cookery and food preparation.’
Louise says that she chose to begin her career with an apprenticeship as she was keen to continue learning but wanted to earn a wage at the same time, ‘It appealed to me because I knew it would be rewarding to earn a living in an industry that has a lot of career opportunities’.
She also enjoys the learning method of her apprenticeship, ‘the studying fits around working full-time and producing a portfolio of evidence is a lot easier to prepare for than an exam.’
‘My assessor makes regular visits to me at work and I receive all the support I need to help me achieve my NVQ.’
