Cornwall's Young Apprentice of the Year

Chloe George, Trevalsa Court Hotel was the winner of the CCB's Excellence in Business Training Young Apprentice of the Year Award 2017. Chloe is currently undertaking a professional cookery apprenticeship, Trevalsa Court Hotel. A two rosette beach hotel , restuarant and bar in Mevagissey. When Chloe first started she was very shy and timid, after only six months she had really come out of her shell. She is hard working, passionate and her attention to detail is outstanding. Chloe is always eager to help anyone, she is exquistive and competent enabling her too work in several sections within the kitchen. Chloe is now running her own larder section plus planning menu's and ordering. For a young person of only 17 years she is said to be destined for great things. 

“I didn’t always want to be a chef, when I was younger I wanted to be a vet or work with animals but as soon as I started cooking I became really passionate about the industry. I am glad I chose to do catering because I feel I have come so far in such a short time.”

Chloe George is currently undertaking a Professional Cookery Apprenticeship at Trevalsa Court Hotel, a 2 rosette beach hotel, restaurant and bar in Mevagissey. Coming straight from school into a professional kitchen Chloe was at first very shy and timid. After only 6 months she has really come out of her shell. She is hard working, passionate; her attention to detail is outstanding. Chloe is always willing to help anyone; she is inquisitive and competent enabling her to work on serval sections within the kitchen. Chloe is now running her own larder section, planning menus and ordering, for a young person of only 17 years of age, she is said to be destined for big things.

With career goals of hopefully becoming a Restaurant Manager or Head Chef in the future Chloe is confident that she has found her ideal career path, she said; “When I won the award a few weeks ago I felt very happy and I felt as if this is the first step in my career.” 

Adam Cawood, Head Chef and Chloe’s mentor at the hotel, is very proud of Chloe and commented; “I do believe she is destined for big things in the catering world. Not only is she hard working and passionate but she possesses the attention to detail required to not only send out the best possible food but also come up with ideas for the future of that dish to improve it.”

To be a young apprentice in any industry requires dedication and commitment, Chloe has fitted in with her team and has crushed all challenges in her path, Adam continued; “I have seen many chefs with a lot of potential but quite a few don’t possess the mental strength or ability to put their “ego” to one side when they know themselves they could be brilliant. Chloe though does believe this, but is modest and carries on without boasting or getting too big headed, which is a trait I really do commend.”

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Excellence in Business Training Awards 2017

The most distinguished companies in the South West celebrated the incredible training achievements of individuals and businesses at an inspiring and glittering awards ceremony in January 2017 at the Headland Hotel. The Excellence in Business Training Awards 2017, hosted by CCB (Cornwall College Business), recognise exceptional training and development in organisations across the region.

Sponsored by Pirate FM and with media support from Business Cornwall, the awards had a number of emotional moments as individuals explained how much of an impact giving opportunities to young people had on their lives. 

Catering Apprenticeships in Cornwall

Career : Now, Chef Apprenticeship at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall

Cornwall has seen an incredible gastronomic community grow in recent years, with many Michelin starred chefs choosing the region for their flagship eateries. Cornwall College delivers the college training to Fifteen Cornwall Chef Apprentices. 

Cornwall College is one of the best catering & hospitality college in the country, with three Centre’s of Excellence, 1st Gold Accreditation and two AA college Rosettes. 

We run a range of catering courses food & beverage service; hospitality service; professional cookery and patisserie & confectionery.  

Employers are hiring now, join us for the next Apprenticeship Recruitment event.

100 apprenticeships available find out more.

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High quality training for your hotel staff

Inspired by its location, Watergate Bay Hotel has developed an ethos that’s at the heart of everything they offer: ‘active relaxation’, striking a balance between getting outdoors, being social and finding some quiet time.

Employing more than 250 staff their sense of hospitality is of providing an open house. Facilities within their 69 bedroom hotel include a 25-metre infinity pool, treatment rooms, a café bar and cardio room, fitness classes. They also run active breaks. The food in their three restaurants – The Living Space, Zacry’s and The Beach Hut – makes the very best of seasonal Cornish produce.

What were the businesses issues/challenges to undertake training?

Watergate Bay Hotel partnered in the ‘Experts Grow’ project funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) along with Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, St Austell Brewery, Cornwall College and Visit Cornwall. The project aims to increase the productivity and perceived value of hospitality skills, and to develop professional opportunities within the hospitality industry.

UKCES identified the hospitality and retail sectors as industries with some of the lowest pay rates in the country. As many as one in three households in Cornwall has someone working in hospitality.

Watergate Bay Hotel aimed to use the resources of this project to invest in their own people-development to make a positive impact for members of their team.

The training undertook:

Watergate Bay Hotel invested in a wide range of training for their staff including a number of Level 2 and 3 NVQs in: Kitchen, Front Desk, Housekeeping, Bar and Restaurant. They also took on an IT Apprentice along with upskilling some of their Manager in TAQA qualifications to enable them to conduct their own in-house training in the future.

What impacts and benefits has the training had on the company?

The hotel set up their own ‘Watergate Bay Academy’ with a dedicated training coordinator. The Academy offers a wide range of job related qualifications to their current staff as well as being able to show new members of the team the training opportunities they present. They created a six-month induction plan for all new members of the team linking to annual appraisals. The Academy is also able to offer other team members who complete a Level 2 or 3 qualifications an increase in pay to acknowledge their progression and commitment. Investing in their team has improved productivity, customer experience and, ultimately, raised take-home pay for low paid workers.

“When we recruit we look for personality and a positive attitude as much as skills and experience. The college took this into consideration when shortlisting for our IT Apprentice role. Three of our kitchen staff has recently completed their level two NVQs which has led to another six of the team signing up to complete their qualifications. We have a number of front of house staff completing their level twos in different areas too, along with our heads of departments studying towards their TAQA qualifications. Watergate has become a real learning environment with current NVQ students inspiring future learners with the help of Cornwall College.”
Emma Neave, HR Manager Watergate Bay Hotel

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