Neil McInnes’ career journey
Neil McInnes was 17 years old when he decided to leave school and go straight to work without pursuing a higher degree in education. His career began in Food & Beverage at the Hilton Glasgow in 1995, and now the year is 2020 – he is celebrating a 25-year career anniversary with the company!
“I was always interested in hospitality,” Neil shares. “My family had the opportunity to travel and stay at different hotels and so I had the chance to observe the atmosphere and quickly got very excited about it. Nobody from my family works in hospitality, I just knew it was something I wanted to do and so I pursued my dream.”
Out of the nine years spent at the Hilton Glasgow, Neil has spent most of his time working in the Front Office, where he fully experienced the joy of working with guests and thus, managed to be promoted several times. Neil then took on a regional role based in London, after which he got the opportunity to go to Australia to be a part of the opening team for Hilton Sydney. At first he was responsible for Front Office, after which he moved to Revenue Management and soon after became the Commercial Manager of the hotel.
After spending five years in Sydney, Neil got the chance to move to Japan! He told himself that he would only stay there for a few years, which soon became 10 and he enjoyed every single year. In Tokyo Neil held multiple roles at Hilton before finally becoming the General Manager of Conrad Tokyo, which is a luxurious five-star hotel located in the heart of the city.
“From my very first job I knew I wanted to become a General Manager, and so I’ve achieved that. It’s been an amazing career of 25 years; it took me to different continents and several different hotels. I’ve worked my way through the ranks all the way up to becoming a General Manager and it shows that nowadays people don’t need to go and get a master’s degree to be a General Manager – hard work and hands-on experience also pays off!” Neil says with a proud smile.
”I remember it was my fourth year working with Hilton and I found out about a fast-track management program that helps you become a General Manager. However, I couldn’t apply for it as I didn’t have a degree. Interestingly, only one or two people that graduated from the program became General Managers. This showed me that working on the front line is just as powerful. Many people start working in hotels as an intermediary before their big career journey in another industry and thus don’t necessarily have the passion and the long-term vision to ever become a General Manager. We need to look up to people who devoted their years to become top of their class hoteliers – they are our inspiration,” the 42-year-old General Manager explains.
The role of a General Manager can be very different depending on the hotel and its location. An average workday for Neil starts before 5:00 a.m. every day. He then goes to the gym to get some exercise in before work. While he’s there, he is already planning the day ahead. By 7:30 a.m. Neil is in the office, checking urgent e-mails. By 8:00 a.m. he is greeting the guests and the team and checking that everything is running smoothly. Throughout the day Neil usually has different meetings – some with customers and some with team members. He spends a lot of time on team development, making sure the talent is nurtured. Later in the evening there might be some entertainment with the guests or customers. We do live in a world of e-mail overload, so on top of everything Neil also spends a significant amount of time using electronic devices to keep up. Networking is another activity his team takes seriously as they need to make sure the hotel is promoted in the local community. It’s important to ensure that Neil and his team are giving back to the community they operate in.
As for his favourite part of the day, Neil shares that it’s all about spending time with the guests, as well as with his team. It’s so important to communicate with the guests because he gets to learn more about the experience at the hotel, about what’s going on. “Just as important is spending time with the team,” Neil says. “They are the ones that make things happen. We always say that they are “the core ingredients of our sauce”. And, of course, when I’m there I speak to them and see how they’re doing. Those two aspects of my day – the guests and my team – are exactly why I’m in the “industry of people”.”
When it comes to combining Neil’s personal and professional lives, he says that even though the job is ‘full-on’ – he doesn’t mind that at all. “From a young age my father installed an ethic of working hard,” Neil shares. “I’ve always watched him work and worked incredibly hard myself. The long hours don’t bother me either – we are in an industry where long hours are present. However, I do make sure that I lead by example and have a work-life balance for my team to take note as well.” Some days Neil does tend to stay longer and another time he leaves reasonably early to spend quality time with his partner and their dog at home. Same goes for the weekends – if Neil can take the time off, then he will and try to disconnect as it is so important to recharge. “I feel creative when I’m at home on my own and thinking about the week ahead,” he shares. “This allows me to return on Monday and feel fresh and recharged. Being on call 24/7 as a General Manager does make it hard to switch off and sometimes, I still think about work during my time off. The industry I’m in can be pressurising with the amount of responsibility I carry. I wouldn’t change it to be any other way though and I thrive on that.”
We still wanted to know if Neil could go back in time, whether he would do anything differently in terms of his career path. Neil admitted that he would change two things. Firstly, he would love to have a second language. In school they did learn French, but sadly didn’t get very far with it. Seeing his colleagues speak three or four languages is truly inspiring for Neil. He wouldn’t say that knowing multiple languages is key, but it is certainly very beneficial. Secondly, he would want to travel more and leave the comfort zone. Neil stayed at Hilton Glasgow for nine years before leaving to go to London. He admits that he should’ve left even earlier. “The moment I moved to Sydney my career had changed, I’ve met new friends, travelled the world, lived the dream,” Neil shares. “People shouldn’t hold back when it comes to travel. It is tough when you pack a box and move to the other side of the world when you don’t know anything about it. However, if you got the right personality, then you will meet people in our industry who will become lifelong friends and family and it will all work out.”
Every career path comes with its own challenges and we asked Neil about his experiences. “There’s been many and the higher you go in management – the more you get to deal with crisis management,” Neil admits. “Of course, now we are dealing with Covid-19 and it takes an enormous amount of our time due to how it affected the hotel and the lives of our team members. I’ve also been through other situations like terrorist incidents and earthquakes, such as the one that happened in Japan on the 11th March in 2011, which was enormous.” He shared how terrible is was to go through it all, however, looking at it now Neil realizes how much stronger those experiences made him as a person. “When you’re going through a crisis, you create a great bond with your team and you learn from it,” Neil explains. “Crisis management is a big part of the job and although we never wish for any of that to happen, it’s about how you go through it and lead the team that makes you who you are. You must be prepared for the unknown and carry that responsibility.”
When it comes to exciting plans for the future, Neil shared that him and his team are very much looking forward to the Olympic Games, as an enormous amount of time and effort has been devoted to the event – as a city, as a country and as a hotel. It does excite them a lot. Neil has also had 26 new graduates start their careers at the hotel on the 1st July and it’s been great to see the same smile and energy that Neil had when his career began 25 years ago.
For someone interested in a career in hospitality and what skills would matter the most, Neil believes that the main thing is about being a ‘people person’. You must have that at the very core of your being and bring that to everything you do – not only when it comes to guests, but your team as well. Being open-minded and dynamic is also very important. The hospitality industry is so fascinating – it stretches across the whole world and encompasses a variety of different cultures and people. They can be our guests or our team members and it’s incredibly beneficial to have those two trades.
Neil is very passionate about nurturing future talent for the hospitality industry. When asked about what advice he would have for someone looking for career opportunities, he shared that the key is to be resilient and motivated as there can be incredibly long and tough days. “I look back at the time when I started 25 years ago and out of all my colleagues that started alongside me, I’m the only one still working in hospitality industry,” Neil admits. “I’ve kept in touch with everyone and they all chose different paths. They ask me how I am still in the same industry after 25 years. The key for me is to have that passion for the job, don’t let it run out no matter how bad it can get sometimes. Have an open-minded approach as you go through it. Set yourself a goal and work towards it – everyone has their own destination towards success, they just need to make it happen.”
Unbreakable – The Springboard Charity’s award-winning film
The Deauville Green Awards is the international festival of film production celebrating social responsibility and eco-innovation. The awards categories focus on the audio-visual communication of corporations, organisations, and public administrations in the field of sustainable development and the preservation of the environment. Creative communications group DRPG was awarded Gold in the category Organisations and Social responsibility for their film ‘Unbreakable’ produced for The Springboard Charity.
This week, the film has also been shortlisted for an EVCom Clarion Award.
The Award-winning film brings to life the transformational experience of people who have trained with Springboard and the impact it has had on their lives. Focusing on the stories of Simon, Roxy and Laura-Lily, the 7 minute video uses a combination of real-life film and intricate and emotive hand drawn animation to explore and depict the struggles they faced before meeting Springboard. As per the title of the film, each person’s story triumphs with their success through the support of Springboard, celebrating their achievements and the life-changing opportunities the programme truly offers.
The full film can be watched via Springboard’s urgent plea campaign page.
Amy-Jane Cahalane, Head of Marketing at Springboard said “The final cut of Unbreakable completely surpassed my expectations! The DRPG team not only approached the project with respect and sensitivity, but really listened to us and managed to get the complexity of these stories and the raw emotions through. Since sharing the video, we have had people get in touch to let us know how moved they were and how powerful the message is. It is so important for us to give others insight into the barriers that other people experience and the uniqueness of each case.”
Simon Hibbert, former Springboard trainee, said, “I’m forever grateful to Springboard, so was really happy to share my story and contribute to this! I’m proud to have been a part of this brilliant film that demonstrates what a great cause Springboard is.”
Looking forward together!
As the UK’s Covid-19 updates have a generally more positive outlook, we are now looking forward to the idea of hospitality businesses being able to open again, along with shops, our favourite leisure activities and attractions and, of course, us being able to enjoy these with our friends and family.
During this gradual return to ‘normal’ and what we hope is the start of the recovery of some wonderful industries, Springboard wanted to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to those businesses and individuals that either continued to support the charity, to fund programmes, to make donations, award grants or fundraise for us.
This has meant that we have been able to continue running some of our most crucial services that help to engage, motivate, upskill and improve the confidence of some of the most marginalised people in our society – young, disadvantaged and unemployed individuals with barriers to employment.
The trainees that were already enrolled onto our award-winning programmes have had consistent support from us and we are also taking on new trainees, which has been desperately needed now that demand is at an all time high. Our Urgent Appeal continues and we appreciate any donations. Please CLICK HERE to make a donation to The Springboard Charity.
Digital Hospitality Academy
Springboard acted quickly to adapt our training, making several modules accessible online, as well as placing emphasis on our resilience, confidence building and mindfulness modules, to support the mental health of our trainees during a very turbulent time. Trainees have also continued to receive 1-2-1 mentoring, employment advice and guidance from our team. They have been invited to webinars, and group workshops and discussion sessions to prevent the feeling of isolation.
As always, our training has been tailored to the individual needs of the person to ensure they get the most out of the experience and are ready for employment when they move on to work experience, a placement or a permanent job.
Please share the Digital Hospitality Academy registration page with your networks, so that they can make use of this or pass it on to those that would benefit: www.springboard.uk.net/dha
How You can Support Springboard’s Work in Other Ways
Amazon Smile
We’re all depending heavily on online services and deliveries at the moment and Amazon has made the news for its record sales numbers. We wanted to remind you that if you log in to your Amazon account via www.smile.amazon.co.uk before making your purchases, you can select The Springboard Charity as your choice of charity to receive 0.5% of the value of your purchases at no additional cost to you.
Charitable Travel
Many of you will be looking forward to the moment that you can lift off or set sail to go on holiday again! Charitable Travel is a unique social enterprise travel agency, offering worldwide holidays and travel with full financial protection and low deposits available. Every penny of profit helps charities to fundraise. Book your next trip with Charitable Travel and donate 5% of your holiday price to The Springboard Charity at no extra cost. For example if your holiday is £1,000, the donation to Springboard is £50. Give them a call to find a great holiday and give back at the same time: 020 3092 1288 / www.charitable.travel/springboard
Hospo Masks
If you are looking for a comfortable, reusable face covering to wear whilst you are out and about in public to reduce the potential spread of viruses, Hospo Masks are donating all of the profits made on their beautiful handmade masks to charity – one of them being Springboard! The masks are made with cotton and available in a range of colours and patterns. They have a pocket for a filter, if you would like to insert one and have a hidden wire mould for the bridge of your nose. Visit @hospomasks on Instagram to order your Hospo Mask!
Volunteering
We have had many of our wonderful business partners offer to support Springboard by way of their staff giving us some of their time. We started a volunteering programme originally with Hilton and, due to it’s success, are sharing this with other partners. There are different ways to get involved, whether you are currently off work, furloughed or still working. If you’d like to see what opportunities are available and put your hand up to potentially help out, CLICK HERE
Become a Friend of Springboard
If you are able to make a regular monthly donation of £20 to Springboard (or an annual donation of £200), you will be acknowledged on our website as a friend of Springboard, sent a digital badge to display on your social media, websites and email footers, as well as receive updates from us about how your money is being used to support an individual or individuals to access our support and fulfil their potential. FIND OUT MORE
WSET launches online exams to enhance digital learning for students
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the world’s largest global provider of wine, spirits and sake qualifications, has announced that it is introducing online exams for its English language Level 1 Awards in Wines, Spirits and Sake* and its Level 2 Awards in Wines and Spirits, with effect from 1st June 2020. This development forms part of WSET’s ongoing digital strategy, enabling as many students as possible to continue with their learning during the current COVID-19 crisis.
Although students can currently take the majority of WSET courses online**, until now they have had to sit an offline exam to complete a WSET qualification. With social distancing guidelines in place across most of the world, many exams have been cancelled or postponed until the situation changes. The introduction of online exams means that students can now study for, and complete, WSET’s English language Level 1 and 2 qualifications from home. This gives them the flexibility to study for, and take, their exams anywhere in the world.
WSET’s online exams are carried out using remote invigilation. Remote invigilation enables students to sit their exam at home on a computer whilst monitored via webcam, screen sharing technology and a secondary recording device (usually a smartphone). The remotely invigilated online exams in English have been successfully piloted and will be rolled out through WSET’s network of 800 plus course providers across the world. Students will still have the option to sit a traditional paper-based classroom exam if that is their preference. WSET is also continuing to develop computer-based testing to enable students to sit exams online in the classroom with their local course provider.
Ian Harris, WSET CEO, said, “I am really excited that, with these latest developments, we can now offer our course providers and students a 360° digital learning experience at a time when traditional classroom education is very challenging or impossible. The integrity of our exams is of the utmost importance to us and we are confident that the award-winning remote invigilation system we have in place meets our stringent standards. At a time when many people in the industry have much more time at their disposal, it’s great that they can choose to upgrade their drinks knowledge, studying and qualifying for a WSET qualification without leaving home.
Online programmes are never going to completely replace the classroom environment, but they give us another very important string to our bow in the short-term, and will be a valuable add-on for us to offer in the longer term, extending the global reach of WSET in the post-COVID era.” To learn more about WSET’s online courses visit WSETglobal.com
The Springboard Charity seeks an inspirational new leader
Further to the recent announcement in the press regarding Anne Pierce’s retirement, the Springboard Charity is searching for a new Chief Executive to drive forward an exciting new chapter in this organisation’s incredible journey.
The Springboard Charity is celebrating 30 years of fulfilling its mission to help people of all ages and backgrounds improve their career potential in hospitality, leisure and tourism. Since its inception, it has developed inspirational education programmes in schools, along with mentoring programmes for college and university students. It has been recognised for its award-winning employability programmes, designed to help people living in poverty, facing multiple barriers to work or experiencing long-term unemployment into sustainable work in the industry. At the same time, its trading arm, Springboard UK has led numerous campaigns to promote the industry as a great place to work and activity to support the people and citizenship priorities of its investing business partners.
Post-COVID-19, Springboard’s work will be needed more than ever but, in a changed world, the new Chief Executive will need to drive innovation & change to secure new income streams and ensure the organisation is fit for future purpose, ready to achieve its ambition to make a difference to more people’s lives and the industry.
You will be an outstanding individual with the ability to be an influential figurehead and a strong ambassador for the Charity, with a track record of:
- Strong Leadership & strategic planning
- Change Management
- Financial and business acumen
- Successful income generation
- Influence and standing within the hospitality, leisure, tourism sectors with a broad network
- Involvement in Charity and Governance
For more information on this opportunity or to express your interest [in confidence] please contact Hannah Horler [a member of the Board and Springboard Patron] on 07909 967364 / hannah@cartwheel.co.uk by Friday 15th May 2020.
Springboard’s FutureChef crowns 2020 winner!
FutureChef has a new winner! 16 year-old Jodie Cochrane from Glasgow won the 2020 National Final at Westminster Kingsway College on Monday.
Jodie, 16, who attends Trinity High School, beat eleven other contestants for the coveted title, wowing the judges with her main of steamed chicken supreme with stuffed tomatoes, vegetables and Spätzle, served with a wholegrain mustard cream sauce, and her dessert of a gluten-free dark chocolate brownie with peanut butter ice cream, caramelized bananas and butterscotch sauce.
Elated about her success, Jodie said, “It’s amazing, I can’t stop smiling. It was so enjoyable, more fun than stress. Just such a great experience! I would never in a million years have thought I could win.”
Julie Christie, Jodie’s mum, was overjoyed at her daughter’s success, saying “It’s been very emotional. I’m so proud of Jodie. I didn’t realise how big FutureChef was until now, but it’s so amazing!”
All of the competitors have practiced tirelessly over the last year, and it showed on the day – with the young people remaining calm and collected under pressure. The decision was difficult to make, with such a high standard of cuisine presented to the judges. Jodie was followed closely by the runners up – with Maisie Speller, 14, from Notley High School in Essex coming in second, and Jessica Batchelor, 15, from Aboyne Academy in Aberdeenshire coming third.
2020 marks the 20th year of the FutureChef competition, which has now expanded to become a nationwide programme. The competition consists of four rounds – or heats – with schools, local, regional and national finals. This year saw 15,358 students involved in the competition from the earliest stages, whittled down to the 12 chefs we saw compete in this week’s final. Though the competition was a fantastic tool for engaging young people in the culinary arts, The Springboard Charity knew it needed to do more to accommodate for the needs of the industry, of schools’ Food Departments, and for the students themselves. It was from this need that the FutureChef programme was created, transforming the initiative into a year-round education programme that seeks to inform and inspire young people in schools about food and nutrition.
Brian Turner CBE, the British chef and household name, has been involved with Springboard’s FutureChef since the competition’s inception. He believes the programme is vital for educating young people about nutrition and getting them into the industry.
Brian said, “There are two reasons why we need FutureChef. The first is that there isn’t nearly enough domestic science and food tech being taught today, so young people aren’t learning the basic skills of cooking that sustain their way of living. Secondly, it encourages people to develop their skills and enter into the industry.”
The programme is supported by multiple industry names, including the Worshipful Company of Cooks, The Savoy Educational Trust, Hilton, Nestlé Professional, Zenith Diversey Group, Compass Group, Sodexo, BaxterStorey, Fairfax Meadow, Delaware North, Hit training, Caterer.com and Bidfood to name a few.
David Mulcahy, Food Development and Innovation Director at Sodexo UK and Ireland said; “As a long term sponsor of FutureChef, Sodexo is delighted to support this vital initiative. Each year we are astonished and delighted at the high level of skills and passion from chefs so young. We look forward to welcoming Jodie to the famous Royal Henley Regatta this summer. Becoming a Springboard Business Partner has given Sodexo’s chefs an extra opportunity to demonstrate their skills and communicate their passion to young people who, we hope, will be inspired to follow in their footsteps.”
At this week’s National Final, Springboard announced that for next year, FutureChef would be changing and expanding. The new FutureChef competition will open up more opportunities to the thousands of students who take part every year, by splitting the competition element into two age groups: one for 11-14 year-olds and another for 14-16 year-olds.
Anne Pierce, the CEO of the Springboard Charity, said, “FutureChef has successfully supported the food curriculum in schools while providing a pipeline of talent to graduate into the hospitality industry for over 20 years. This year is no exception and today’s final of the competition saw 12 hugely talented school children show off their talent, having beaten over 15,000 12-16 year olds who have benefited this year. We continue to innovate, and going forward, FutureChef will provide schools with exceptional resources from age 11 to 16 and our new two tier competition will enable even more young people to learn about food, learn how to cook and provide an exceptional talent pipeline into the industry.”
Springboard takes home Partner of the Year Award 2020
On Tuesday 4th February, the Springboard team were absolutely ecstatic to win the Partner of the Year Award at the Movement to Work Social Mobility Awards 2020 for their work with the Diageo Learning for Life programme.
The charity coalition, made up of leading employers, civil society and government, aims to tackle youth unemployment and encourage employers to unlock the potential of young people by creating high-quality work placements with the goal of investing in our economy by pushing for systemic change.
The Social Mobility Awards celebrate and recognise the outstanding contribution made by individuals and organisations over the year to their goal of helping disadvantaged young people gain skills and employment.
Springboard’s achievement was down to their successful long-standing collaboration with Diageo and delivery of the UK-wide Diageo Learning for Life programmes. Inga McVicar, Springboard’s National Head of Employability, has worked with Diageo to deliver the employability programmes for several years during her time at The Springboard Charity. Speaking on the win, Inga said:
“The whole team at The Springboard Charity are delighted to have been recognised as Partner of the Year at the Movement to Work Social Mobility Awards. Having delivered Diageo Learning for Life since 2014, and with over 1800 graduates to date, our partnership with Diageo has helped support individuals into sustainable careers while scouting new talent to join the hospitality industry. On average, 78% of Diageo Learning for Life graduates secure long-term employment after they have completed training.
“Celebrating our 30th anniversary, The Springboard Charity is proud to be proactively working throughout the UK and Ireland with a wide range of funders and industry partners to help young people achieve their potential, and nurture unemployed people of any age into work, alleviating poverty by supporting disadvantaged and underprivileged people into sustainable employment within hospitality, leisure and tourism.”
Lucy Lamb, programme manager, Diageo Learning for Life said:
“We’re really pleased that The Springboard Charity has won Partner of the Year award. The team’s commitment, expertise and enthusiasm is vital to the ongoing success of the Diageo Learning for Life programme, helping young people learn new skills, gain recognised hospitality qualifications and build confidence. A big well done and thank you to all those involved!”
In 2014, Scotland became the first country in Europe to deliver the Diageo Learning for Life programme, which has inspired and transformed the lives of young, unemployed people throughout the UK by providing access to training, skills and qualifications.
If you would like to find out more about The Springboard Charity, then contact stephaniel@springboarduk.org.uk to learn more, or head to our website www.springboard.uk.net
Springboard’s GEMS Placements
A graduate placement may be the answer to your problems
What is a graduate placement?
Graduate placements can be tied into many undergraduate degrees at universities across the UK as a ‘sandwich’ year or short-term placement in between years of study and are particularly prevalent in Hospitality, Events and Tourism. These paid placements allow students to gain exposure to the industry whilst applying the knowledge and skills they’ve cultivated so far in their university studies.
How will a Graduate placement benefit YOUR company?
- Graduate placements essentially offer companies a trial period to train a new member of the team, analysing how well they would fit into the organisation both in terms of culture and ability. The scheme will save your company funds which may have otherwise been spent on a costly recruitment drive with little return on investment.
- They also grant companies ample time to sell the industry and, more importantly, their company to the student for when they come to think about graduate employment.
- Placements provide a fixed term appointment staff member to whom you may decide to allocate specific projects or tasks to synergise the goals of the company as well as the student, who can bring fresh ideas & perspectives on board.
- In providing fulfilling & successful placements to university students, your company’s reputation will improve as word of mouth spreads, allowing you to begin forging a steady pipeline of talented students.
How can Springboard help YOU?
Springboard’s GEMS programme offers students on Hospitality, Tourism and Events based courses the chance to learn from their own personal industry mentor. Our placement bank provides the 100+ GEMS students with a platform to discover meaningful & exciting work placements. Our business partners can access this pool of untapped talent for free by gaining exposure through the placement bank.
Through completing the INSPIRE accreditation, your organisation can also ensure that its work experience placements are of the highest quality. Work experience is the single most important factor influencing careers choices; a strong & worthwhile placement can really improve your conversion of work experience students who will eventually choose to apply for permanent roles at your company.
Find out more about INSPIRE https://industry.springboard.uk.net/getting-involved/inspire/become-an-inspire-employer
To find out more about the placement bank speak to your business relationship manager or email info@springboarduk.org.uk
3 ways YOU can use FutureChef to improve your business
FutureChef is an industry-endorsed programme supporting young people aged 12-16 to discover a love of cooking, inspiring them to embark on a future career in the industry. The programme relies on the involvement of chefs to work with schools, mentoring students during the competition and inspiring them to consider careers in the industry. Using our 20 years’ experience running FutureChef, we’ve come up with 3 key ways in which you can maximise the opportunities available to develop a talent pipeline.
Demonstrate your commitment and reap the benefits!
The success of the FutureChef programme is largely made up of the support and time provided by industry professionals. While they may not be dealing with the stress of working in a professional kitchen, being a Food Technology teacher is tough. With a large proportion of their time taken up by marking, lesson-planning and dealing with pastoral issues, their students could really benefit from an expert voice in the classroom.
For our partnerships with chefs to be successful, we need to have commitment that you’ll uphold your promise.
Of course, we understand that unplanned inconveniences can disrupt your plans though. Last minute bookings? A shortage in the kitchen? Changes to the rota? These things happen but when it conflicts with a visit to one of our schools, there are plenty of ways to tackle it:
- Secure a backup chef in case of emergency – this could be a sous-chef or another colleague!
- If you find out in advance, we ask that you please let the FutureChef team know as soon as possible so that we can rearrange your visit for a more convenient time.
Fostering a good relationship with schools allows you to tap into a large local talent pool. Businesses paired with a school are far more likely to be able to hire those students into apprenticeships.
Remember that you are representing your company AND the industry!
Whether you are visiting a school, mentoring a student or even showing students around your kitchens, it’s hugely important for our chefs to proudly fly the flag for the hospitality industry, using your platform to promote your profession as a fantastic place to work to the students.
- Bring along marketing materials to inform and educate students about your place of work
- Additionally, provide some marketing materials about your apprenticeship programmes
- Help us to tackle the negative preconceptions about working in the food industry and use positive language
- Explain all of the varied opportunities and avenues through which one can become a chef, dispelling any misconceptions the students may have.
- Consider the age of the group you are addressing – with younger students, focus on inspiring them and sharing all of the features and benefits of a career as a chef. For older students who have already elected to study Food Technology, make sure to promote the industry as a whole and educate them on the range of career paths available.
Develop your own staff members’ skillsets through the programme!
Whilst the programme is primarily designed with students and teachers in mind, FutureChef is also a fantastic way of growing and developing the chefs in your own team. The programme provides them with an excellent platform through which they can learn mentorship skills by nurturing young talent, which they can later apply to managing other team members.
“FutureChef affords chefs the opportunity to highlight and develop skills that are required in more senior kitchen roles. Whether it’s presenting to a group of students, developing new dishes with competitors or building relationships for a business with a school, FutureChef offers an environment where your staff can excel.” David Mulcahy, Food Development & Innovation Director, Sodexo
How many junior members of your team would benefit from opportunities to prove their soft skills for future roles in your organisation?