TRIGON HOTELS PARTNERS WITH THE COMMUNITY YOUTH TRAINING CENTRES ON THEIR WORK EXPERIENCE & PLACEMENT PROGRAMME

BY DEIRDRE STAPLES

Talent Learning & Development Specialist at Trigon Hotels

“Growth is never by mere chance, it is the result of great forces working together” – we came across this quote recently and our work with our local Community Youth Training Centre immediately came to mind. Based in Mayfield and in Blackpool the independent, community-based organisation, provides training and related supports for young people aged between 16 – 21 years. We at Trigon Hotels have partnered with this organisation for two years now to provide work experience & placement programmes to the individuals involved and it has been a fantastic experience for everyone involved.

Funded and supported by the CETB, ‘Learners’ in the Community Training Centres benefit from individualised learning plans and participate in personal, social and vocational skills training and development leading to major awards on the National Framework of Qualifications. It is the purpose of the work experience programme that young people gain increased employability skills and at the end of their time on the programme will be better prepared to enter the workplace.

We have been delighted to work with Luke Geary, a young ‘Learner’ from the Culinary skills course who we offered the opportunity to carry out work experience as a chef in The Metropole Hotel, working with and benefitting from the personal mentorship of our own Head Chef Trevor O’Keeffe.

During Luke’s placement, we were thrilled to see him thrive and develop in his role. From our perspective, Luke has gained confidence and courage throughout his placement and he developed into such a great asset for the team that we were delighted to sponsor him to continue his studies on the CETB Commis Chef Apprenticeship. This programme will make sure that Luke is provided the opportunity to continue to develop his skills and hone his craft.

During this time, Luke will continue to work with our team and we will continue to support Luke in helping to facilitate his practical experience and ensure his mentorship with our skilled team members continues.

Trigon Hotels strives to create a supportive environment in which all Team members can flourish and reach their full potential. We provide holistic work placement programmes and truly care about the young people that are placed with us. All our team members are supported individually to ensure they benefit from the training and everyone is challenged to develop in the directions they wish to go. We are always proud that we have such a diverse team as each member brings their own unique experiences and opinions with them to the workplace, this makes for a far more innovative working environment. Everyone’s skills, knowledge and opinions are respected and following the recent appointments of our new Food & Beverage Operations Manager, Pierce Lowney and Pastry Chef Niamh Moroney, we are really excited to see the next food and beverage evolution for our brands.

Talking about his experience and progression, Luke said: “I love working in The Metropole Hotel– the staff are fantastic to work with, in particular the chef team and of course the Head Chef Trevor.  He has been teaching me a lot and I have learned so much from working with him and the other Chefs, especially how to create menus and other skills like efficiency and speed.  We work as part of a team and I get great feedback from the Chefs on an ongoing basis.  I feel there is progression in the job and I look forward to building my career here.  I am starting a Commis Chef apprenticeship in September and look forward to that.  I would not have had this opportunity had it not being for the Community youth training centre as they helped me identify what I wanted and where I wanted to go and organised the placement for me and supported me while I was there”.

We are very proud of Luke and what he has achieved and we are looking forward to seeing where he progresses to next within our group!

 

 

 

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