IN ASSOCIATION WITH


Mitchell Webb: BaxterStorey


‘Since arriving, I’ve never looked back’


When he finished his A-levels in 2014, Mitchell Webb hadn’t planned to look into opportunities in hospitality. He had decided that business management would be the career for him. But since completing his NVQ level 2 in business admin at caterer BaxterStorey – an opportunity that he came across on Facebook – he hasn’t looked back. “I’m now just about to finish


my advanced apprenticeship and I would definitely recommend the apprenticeships at BaxterStorey to other people,” he says. “It’s all on-the-job training, which is ideal, because you don’t get dragged away from the business.” Day-to-day job roles during


“There’s such a great support network through the whole company, and I know I’ll still have that once my apprenticeship is finished” Mitchell Webb


Webb’s level 2 apprenticeship in BaxterStorey’s learning and development team included dealing with training enquiries, handing out and posting certificates, managing the training calendar and helping managers with training opportunities. An assessor also came in once a month for three hours to work through the different topics


covered on the course. “I’ve always been interested in


food and catering, but when I was thinking about working in business management, I never considered working for a hospitality firm,” Webb says. “Now I’ve arrived in the sector, though, I think it’s great. I get to work with talented chefs, organise training courses for the chef academy, and I even worked on-site for a month to get a feel for the demands of the industry. Since I’ve arrived, I’ve haven’t looked back.” Webb still dreams of


progressing to a business management position, whether within the learning and development team or another section of the business. “There’s such a great support network through the whole company, and I know I’ll still have that once my apprenticeship is finished,” he says. “The company has already


told me they’re looking at some training opportunities that I can pursue. They’re always looking to develop you and never want to hinder your progress. I’ll just have to see which vacancies come up!”


‘He has changed our perceptions’ Callum Jocelyn, 17, started his level 2 diploma in cookery at DoubleTree by Hilton in Cambridge in July 2016 following a week’s work experience at the hotel arranged by employment charity Believe In Young People (BiYP). “I really enjoyed my week’s work


experience in the front of house team,” he says. “I had also enjoyed the practical side of my catering GCSE and wanted to take it further, so when I found out about the professional cookery apprenticeship at an open day at Cambridge Regional College after I finished my GCSEs, I decided to go back to DoubleTree and ask if they’d offer me an apprenticeship.


They did, but I don’t think I’d have felt comfortable asking about it if I hadn’t done my work experience there.” Five months in and Jocelyn spends most of his time helping the head chef in the kitchen while attending college one day a week. “The team is absolutely brilliant, and I love the feeling of helping people enjoy their stay at the hotel,” he says. Although the hours can be long, he’d recommend the hospitality industry to other young people without hesitation: “It’s really good fun,” he says. In 2015 BiYP delivered more than


3,000 work experience placements at 2,096 local employer sites throughout the UK. Some 50% of work experience


students are offered an apprenticeship or part-time work, and 100% of them are still employed after 12 months. Although Jocelyn’s apprenticeship


lasts two years, he’s optimistic he could complete it faster if he manages to cover everything required quickly. “It’s going well so far,” he grins. And the fact it’s going well isn’t only


from his perspective: “It’s changed us as well as Callum,” says head chef Ermal Cani. “[The team] want to pass on their experience and be supportive. He has helped us change our perceptions about recruiting someone so young. I didn’t even know we could recruit someone who was only 16 before we joined BiYP.”


“The team is absolutely brilliant, and I love the feeling of helping people enjoy their stay at the


hotel and making them happy” Callum Jocelyn


www.thecaterer.com The Caterer | 25


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