The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Eye-opening London visit for hospitality apprentices
Training course catering is usually finger sandwiches and a cup of soup, or a buffet selection, if you’re lucky.
So how about sesamecured salmon with compressed cucumber, tobiko, coriander oil and spring onion, washed down with Pommery Brut Royal just as the starter?
Or an intermediate course of a smoking teapot, with coconut sorbet and passion fruit?
It wasn’t quite what four young apprentices were expecting as they embarked on the final stage of their Hospitality Apprenticeship North East (Hane) course – a “learning journey” to London in early May.
But that was the standard of catering which greeted them over a two-day tour of some of the UK’s finest hospitality to mark the completion of their programme.
Hane, created by local hoteliers and supported by Opportunity North East and Skills Development Scotland, is delivered by Training Matters.
And the trip to London marked the end of an apprenticeship dogged by Covid, lockdowns and travel bans.
The apprentices have now graduated, making them the first cohort to complete the scheme. When they were serving breakfasts in carrier bags on the door handles of guest bedrooms at the height of the pandemic, the apprentices could not have envisaged themselves behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace.
Or indeed being wined and dined by the general manager of one of the capital’s five-star hotels.
Touring the kitchens at Buckingham Palace and hearing about the scale of operation required to cater for glittering state banquets, with an army
of chefs also preparing choice three-course staff meals for hundreds every day, was of particular interest to an apprentice at the Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar.
Leven Hampson said: “The minute I stepped in the kitchen at the Fife Arms I knew this was where I wanted to be.
“Seeing the amazing set-up of the kitchen at Buckingham Palace has to be my highlight of the trip.”
It was the level of customer service offered by five-star luxury hotel The Hari, in Belgravia,
which impressed Anthony McKillop from Douneside House Hotel in Tarland.
Mr McKillop said: “They call their approach ‘positive stalking’. It’s their way of creating a totally personalised trip for each guest. They look through publicly available channels such as social media or company websites to find unique ways to enhance a guest’s stay. For one Harry Pottermad child, they arranged a wand in the room with a list of secret spells the staff knew how to act out.
“It’s customer service on a totally different level.”
Another fascinating visit was to Nyetimber Sparkling Winery, by Pulborough, in West Sussex, where the northeast group were guided by estate owners.
It opened eyes to the fact an apprenticeship in a hotel does not always lead to a hotel-based job.
Hannah Kerridge, of Jurys Inn Aberdeen Airport, said: “Visiting Nyetimber, which was a truly magical day, showed me that my apprenticeship could lead to a career in another type of venue, or even as a brand ambassador.”
The trip itinerary, arranged in partnership with the Institute of Hospitality, was designed to show the young apprentices potential ways to unlock their future hospitality careers.
The fine dining lunch, which included four courses and paired wines at The Podium, on prestigious Park Lane, in Mayfair, London, was served by the restaurant manager in the chef’s dining room.
But it wasn’t the only memorable food and beverage experience on the trip.
Drinks on The Terrace at The Hari ranked high in the group’s experiences too.
Joanne Payne, from the Fife Arms, said that, while the trip was the experience of a lifetime, she could see what the Hane qualification could lead to. Ms Payne added: “When we all began this apprenticeship, I think we all knew it was a good career move.
“But completing the programme and visiting the London hotels, seeing the range of roles which it has opened up to us, we now really understand what a fantastic foundation the apprenticeship has given us all.”
The apprenticeship’s four main themes – food and beverage, housekeeping, kitchen and reception – are an opportunity to see which area of hotel operations appeals most to trainees.
Hane chairman Stephen Gow said: “As a group of local hoteliers, with the support of Opportunity North East, we wanted to devise a scheme which delivered more than just a real job with a real wage for young adults.
“We wanted to design a solid ladder to a genuine career in hospitality.
“This trip to London and the warm response the apprentices and programme received from some of the most senior members of our industry there, along with the cheeky job offers made to our apprentices, reinforces our belief the scheme is relevant and important.
“We wanted to create home-grown talent; to give young adults an incredible grounding to move forward in their career – wherever in the world that takes them.”
Applications for the autumn intake of the Hane programme are open now at hospitalityapprentice. com