Springboard Programme: Summer School

Region: London

Year: 2022

Hi, my name is Lucy, I’m 16 years old and I’m a chef that works at a company called Sodexo Live!. I’d like to tell you about my journey going into an apprenticeship after school and hopefully inspire some of you to do the same.

Just before I left school last year, I did some research on colleges, sixth forms and apprenticeships because I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I had finished my GCSE’s. All I knew is that I wanted to do something that involved hospitality, I wanted to feel achieved, and I didn’t want to feel like I was being treated like a child by the people around me.

I wanted to do something in hospitality because the opportunities are endless. Whether you want to cook, serve or just be in contact with customers, hospitality can offer such a vast range of different things.

Not long after my GCSE’s I looked for some guidance and with the help of Springboard, I managed to take part in their Summer School, a 2 week programme. During the programme I worked with people who had similar interests to me, learned how to properly build a CV, learned money management, and took part in team building exercises.

I also took part in a few mock interviews, so that we could get a feel for what a real interview would be like. In my case, one mock interview went so well that I got offered a real interview for an apprenticeship with the Sodexo Live! Academy with Raymond Blanc, and let’s just say I smashed it! Emotions ran very high that day, as I had finally felt some sort of achievement within myself.

In my apprenticeship, I am learning fine dining and French cuisine. I am doing a level 2 commis chef apprenticeship, which allows me to gain a qualification in which I can move up on the scale and hopefully one day become a head chef.

During my apprenticeship I get to change working locations every two months. I’ve worked at some of Sodexo Live!’s most prestigious venues including The Wallace Collection, which is a popular art and history museum, and the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon. I’m currently working at the Royal Academy of Arts and I’m soon to be working at Le Manoir which is Raymond Blanc’s own hotel and restaurant, where he films his cooking show.

This may sound like a lot, and it did to me when I first heard about my programme at my induction, however when you look at it in a positive way, I see it as 5 amazing locations where I get to gain experience, meet new people, and learn new skills.

Not only have I been working at different locations and been in the kitchen, but I’ve also worked on multiple projects including filming for children’s mental health, charity days where I’ve gotten to help people struggling to eat and feed their families due to the cost of the living crisis, had meetings with the director of my company, and I’ve been able inspire many people to apply for apprenticeships.

I think an apprenticeship is so much more than work. An apprenticeship is learning a trade that can help you develop as you get older.

An apprenticeship is developing your character and expanding your knowledge.

An apprenticeship is meeting people and building new connections to allow you to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself to your full potential.

If I had to advise you one thing before leaving here today it would be to consider choosing an apprenticeship. It doesn’t matter whether you want to cook, become a waitress or maybe you want to do something beyond hospitality and the best part about it is – you can. Anything is achievable. It just starts with you, so why not start looking today.