On-the-job training is go!

The on-the-job pilot training scheme put together by Transform’s ‘Jobs and Training’ task group is off to a flying start.

The scheme offers a completely new way of training for an NVQ in catering and hospitality. Trainees undergo an intensive 10-week on-the-job training at the Osborne Hotel in Ilfracombe and, as it finishes in time for Easter, will be helped to find a job at the end of the course. The scheme is being run by North Devon College, with input from other training providers in the area.

So how are the trainees getting on?

“They’re doing brilliantly,” said Rob Barnes, North Devon College catering lecturer. “They have a really good attitude and are already working together as a really strong team. That’s something that will really set them up to work in the industry. They have worked to a professional level from day one. I’m looking for a good standard of food and service.”

The venue is ideal for the Ilfracombe-based trainees as it means they don’t have to travel to college, and the course is proving popular in other ways as well.

Jackie Lemay-Smith has worked in kitchens for years but wants to make a career in catering. “I want to work my way through to NVQ level 3,” she said. “This is an ideal kind of course to be on, because it’s hands-on right from the beginning.”

Jamie Hanley wants to be a chef. Two weeks ago he was labouring on a building-site. “I like the fact it’s not a big group, you can learn at your own pace. It’s an interesting course and they hook you up to a job at the end.”