Young unemployed people take part in two-week hospitality programme

7th February 2011, 9:31am

A total of nine unemployed young people recently took part in a two-week hospitality learning programme to give them knowledge and real work experience of the industry.

The Sodexo Foundation donated £17,000 to support the programme for under 25s. The programme ran from 17 - 28 January at Deeside College, Flintshire, North Wales, and was delivered by Sodexo on behalf of The Prince's Trust.

The Prince's Trust invited the young people, who are currently unemployed, to attend the 'Get Into' hospitality programme, which was facilitated by Sodexo's learning and development team.

The first week concentrated on teaching the participants about food hygiene, health and safety, and customer care. The team also taught them about the importance of the Spirit of Inclusion, a programme created by Sodexo, which looks at diversity and inclusion from an individual, team and business perspective.

During the second week the young people were given the opportunity to gain real work experience through working in various catering service areas at the college, which are all provided by Sodexo. These included the kitchen, Café Talk, Café Max, the Refectory and general hospitality.

On the final day of the programme, all participants received a certificate at a special presentation ceremony, rewarding their commitment to learning and developing new skills. Around 35 people attended the event, including guests of the participants and representatives from The Prince's Trust, Deeside College and Sodexo.

Simon Conway, Sodexo Education account director, said: "Feedback from the participants has been very good and they have expressed their enjoyment of the experience. There are many opportunities in the hospitality industry so we hope that their experience at Deeside College will help them secure work in this area."

Related Articles:

• 17 Jan 2011 - Sodexo's key facts and figures
• 11 Jan 2011 - Sodexo employees gather at its annual Star Awards
• 04 Jan 2011 - Sodexo's HR director joins People 1st as vice-chair
• 19 Nov 2010 - Sodexo relaunches its Healthwise website
• 01 Nov 2010 - Sodexo's prison business in UK has been re-named
• 01 Jul 2010 - Former Sodexo boss Jansen joins supplier Brakes
• 02 Jun 2010 - Sodexo Prestige scores at Football Hospitality Awards
• 01 Jun 2010 - Sodexo's Tillery Valley wins Carbon Trust Standard
• 05 Aug 2009 - Sodexo wins new school contract in Caterham
• 03 Aug 2009 - Sodexo connects with Nokia win
• 21 Jul 2009 - Sodexo secures 1,000 jobs for five years
• 16 Jun 2009 - Sodexo wins Corporate Citizen award
• 01 Jun 2009 - Sodexo takes action
• 07 May 2009 - Sodexo manager wins Train to Gain award
• 01 May 2009 - Sodexo announces Marine Stewardship Council award
• 21 Apr 2009 - Sodexo chef gains top tips at Royal Garden Hotel
• 12 Mar 2009 - Sodexo to fund training at Hoxton Apprentice
• 20 Feb 2009 - Sodexo announces tie-up with Stonewall
• 19 Feb 2009 - Sodexo offers students tips on healthy eating
• 11 Feb 2009 - Sodexo becomes partner in £12bn PFI project
• 09 Feb 2009 - Sodexo caters for Scottish events
• 14 Jan 2009 - Sodexo appoints new head of legal services
• 22 Dec 2008 - Sodexo gives pupils food for sport
• 10 Nov 2008 - Sodexo recruits top industry talent for new role
• 10 Sep 2008 - Sodexo marathon men clock up 1,000 miles
• 02 Sep 2008 - Sodexo and NHS Devon Trust extend partnership
• 02 Apr 2008 - Sodexo introduces new Summer menu for schools

Click here to submit a comment!

Have your say!

To comment on this article, simply enter your name and email and send us your views. Please note that your comment will appear publicly below this article once it has been processed. For enquiries please email info@costsectorcatering.co.uk.