Manorview Hotels & Leisure Group have seen an increase of young people entering their Training Academy, completing their SVQ qualifications and staying within the hospitality industry. This year the Group are also introducing a cooking qualification.
During Scottish Apprenticeship Week (5th – 9th March 2018), the Group spent the week recognising the achievements of their young people.
In the period April 2016 – March 2017, 48 new apprenticeships went through the programme. The Group are on track to see 55 apprentices come through their Training Academy for the period April 2017 – March 2018, and for the following intake starting on April 2018, they hope to grow that number to 65 young people.
Also new for this apprenticeship year starting next month will be the opportunity to undertake SVQ Professional Cookery Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications.
Robi Giovino, Assessor & Verifier for the Manorview Group’s Training Academy, said, “We’re introducing the Professional Cookery qualification to try to encourage more new chefs into the industry. We want to provide that pathway for young chefs to follow a passion and to see becoming a chef as a career choice”.
Evan Welsh, Manorview Group Head Executive Chef, said “We’ve noticed a real skill shortage of chefs coming into the trade. The food and drink industry is growing with the amount of restaurants opening but there’s a shortage of chefs to fill kitchens. There is often a perception that becoming a chef involves long hours and it’s a career that is detrimental to a good work/life balance. We are working hard to reverse that by trying to reduce hours and offer increased benefits”.
Robi Giovino, Shareen Glendinning, Gary McLayghlin, Shauna Graham, Suliman Rehman, Niamh O’DonnellThe Manorview Group held an apprentice afternoon at their Boclair House Hotel in Bearsden, Glasgow, and local West of Scotland MSP, Maurice Corry, visited the venue to meet with some of the young apprentices.
Niamh O’Donnell, 21, from Glasgow, has been working with the Manorview Group for over two years. She started working at Boclair House Hotel, and has covered everything from reception, bar, restaurant to functions and events. She has completed all her hospitality SVQs and now divides her time between working for the venue and looking after the entire Group’s digital marketing.
Niamh said, “The apprenticeship programme was a great way for me to learn all aspects of the business and working at Boclair gave me the opportunity to put into practice what I had learned. Getting practical hands-on training was an invaluable part of learning. There’s also lots of career opportunities in hospitality and I’m currently enjoying my move into the marketing and social media side of the business”.