In recognition of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Ronnie Kelman explains why training and development opportunities have never been more important.
At a time when youth and long-term unemployment are critical issues for society, our industry is ideally placed to support people into meaningful work. We have so many success stories in foodservice and hospitality. We see inspiring people flourish time and again, building careers and passing on their learnings to others, which also helps us to diversify and grow.
The foodservice and hospitality industry is all about people, so as well as providing much-needed career opportunities, it is just as crucial for us that we continue to attract, nurture and retain talent to make sure we’re always driving forward.
To future-proof our industry, we must continue to demonstrate the exciting opportunities it provides. As a barrierless sector, with little or no need for qualifications to enter, we have a unique strength. We can provide people with the tools they need to progress – and we can tailor this progression to meet the evolving needs of our business and our clients.
In 2021, Compass Group UK & Ireland launched Our Social Promise, with a focus on developing talent and providing opportunities for all. Two areas of focus for us within this strategy are helping people to grow their careers, alongside changing their lives for the better.
APPRENTICESHIPS
Apprenticeships are key to our development strategy, and we know they can have a transformational impact on the lives of those who complete them. We’ve seen numerous success stories in our business, of people taking on apprenticeships which have led to promotions, new opportunities and crucially, have built their confidence and helped them to develop personally.
We have training and development opportunities for people of all ages and at all stages of life – from our award-winning partnership with Mackie Academy in Stonehaven helping to inspire school pupils, right up to our Elevate programme, which was designed for senior chefs to develop Scotland’s next generation of culinary leaders.
We also have programmes that focus on some of the specialist skills required in Scotland – for example, ‘Next Wave’, is our first training programme designed specifically to develop the next wave of chef managers for our offshore business. Our ESS chef managers provide a home from home experience for offshore workers, so this unique working environment requires technical skills as well as adaptability, resilience and composure under pressure, all of which are developed throughout this course.
CLASSROOM TO CAREERS
Attracting people straight from school is an important approach, as it translates into tangible career opportunities, while supporting workforce development and long-term social mobility. We have seen phenomenal success with our Mackie Academy partnership, where we support the ‘Snackie Mackie’ initiative with S1 pupils, and the ‘Voyagers’ programme with S3 students.
For the younger pupils, we’re supporting as part of their health and wellbeing classes, helping them to consider the importance of nutrition, while Voyagers was designed collaboratively as a skills-focused programme that helps students develop key elements of their school leaver profile, incorporating creativity, innovation, teamwork and problem solving. Core to both initiatives is giving young people an insight into working in the hospitality industry, as well as helping them to make healthier choices.
SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE
When it comes to training and apprenticeships, we’re not just teaching skills – we’re inspiring people, building their confidence, introducing them to careers they never imagined and strengthening our business and industry in the process. This is a truly exciting proposition and one we must celebrate as we encourage more people to join our sector.
Ronnie Kelman is Managing Director of ESS Energy, Government & Infrastructure, and Head of Compass Scotland.