The results are in! Getting your GCSE results is definitely a daunting time. With so many options, considering what to do next can be overwhelming. For those of you who don’t want to continue with A-Levels or a vocational course, apprenticeships are a great option.
Apprenticeships are available to anyone over the age of 16 and living in England. Many industries offer apprenticeships but let us tell you why one in hospitality should be top of your list to consider.
Why Hospitality?
Firstly, hospitality is a fun and exciting career to pursue! There are an abundance of career pathways to choose, whether you want to put your skills to the test in the kitchen, learn how to make the perfect cocktail, or maybe you’ve got your sights set on leading a team or a head office role. From brewing to cooking and management to marketing, there really is something for everyone.
Find out more about available hospitality apprenticeships by visiting the GOV.uk website and see how you can apply to work in an exhilarating industry, or read on to find out about Phoenix, who completed his apprenticeship at the Brend Hotel Group with HIT Training.
Phoenix’s Journey
On leaving school, Phoenix, 18, had to choose going to college or doing an apprenticeship, to start his chosen career as a chef. He decided to do a level 2 Commis Chef apprenticeship at Brend Hotel’s Saunton Sands establishment. This allowed him to gain first-hand experience in the kitchen.
Based in North Devon, overlooking three miles of beach, Saunton Sands is a four-star art deco hotel – a flagship for the Brend Hotel Group, a collection of 11 luxury hotels across the South West. A testament to the high standards found within, the hotel has won many prestigious awards, most recently achieving two AA Rosettes for dining.
“This apprenticeship has enabled me to develop my skills with Brend Hotels. I have learnt how to efficiently prepare food to the highest standard, manage my area during our busy evening service, and run checks to make sure nothing has been missed from the prep book.”
The Brend Hotel Group is a champion of apprenticeships and works with HIT Training – the provider of choice for apprenticeships in the hospitality industry – to deliver its training programme. For his apprenticeship, Phoenix worked closely with HIT Training which provided a supportive and experience-driven course.
With this support, Phoenix has not only gained new skills but he has now progressed to a level 3 Chef-De-Partie apprenticeship and is responsible for showing new chefs how the kitchen works.
New Apprenticeship Standards
Phoenix is one of the first apprentices in the hospitality industry to complete the new apprenticeship standards (officially launched last year) and has achieved a distinction with the help of HIT Training and The Brend Hotel Group.
Brend Hotels was an early adopter of the new apprenticeship standards, which have been designed to ensure all apprenticeship training is high-quality, rigorous and specifically crafted to develop the knowledge and skills required to work within the hospitality industry.
Phoenix was also one of the first apprentices to participate in Brend Hotel Group’s Training Academy, which launched in 2015 at Saunton Sands. Since launching, the Academy has gone from strength-to-strength and provides paid training places for young people from the local area who are keen to pursue a career in the industry.
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