New HIT Chef Academy tackles chef shortage at the grass roots

HIT Training, the leading specialist training and apprenticeship provider for the hospitality sector, has unveiled a brand new initiative - the HIT Chef Academy which aims to tackle the chef shortage at grass roots level. The launch was held at Hospitality House, London, where the great and good of the sector joined together to celebrate the start of the dynamic Academy.

The HIT Chef Academy is an innovative new training programme for future culinary stars and aims to meet the demand for highly skilled chefs in the hospitality industry, which is a result of the growth the sector has experienced in the last few years.

Headed by Paul Mannering, Academy Principal, and run by 20 expert HIT Chef Trainers, the new programme brings together the very best in culinary excellence to provide the apprentices with the highest quality training, development and learning in the industry.

Paul said: "It's a very exceptional and dynamic approach to learning. We take our chefs out of their kitchens for two days a month and they learn new skills and they take advice from people in the industry. With the learning we want to get across, we want to inspire and motivate young chefs to think of this industry as a career. It's a great pathway not a dead end qualification."

He added: "People can get stuck in a rut but it makes more sense for employers to support their young staff who will go on to be he next generation of sous chef, managers and ambassadors for the company.

"At the moment we have 1600 chefs who role on and off of the programme, in the next five years I'd like to get that number up to 2000. I'd like to see us working with employers much more collaboratively with better support for learners.

"Young chefs don't realise how massive the industry is, they need dedication, focus and structured learning and HIT can mentor them through their programme with the aim that they will take ownership of their own development."

Having supported more than 60,000 learners and apprentices at over 10,000 employer sites across the country since the company formed in 2006, HIT Training has a strong understanding of what learners and employers need to forge a life-enhancing, or business-boosting relationship.

Based on this, more than 70% of HIT apprentices complete and obtain either a BTEC or City & Guilds diploma. In the last year alone HIT delivered over half of all hotel and catering apprenticeships in England and helped more than 20,000 people gain a qualification, apprenticeship or job.

One of those successful learners is Crystal Old. The 19-year-old was ready to give up on being a chef a few years ago and now she is working in the pastry section at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

"My first job was a bad experience, the chef I worked with wasn't a boss he was a bully," explained Crystal. "I lost all my confidence, I was coming home crying every day and being told I wasn't cut out to be a chef.

"I spoke to HIT and they helped me get out of that situation, they placed me with Jamie Jones at Yalbury Cottage Hotel in Dorchester and I completed my Professional Cookery Advanced Apprenticship there. I went from all round cooking, to working with three other chefs to now where there are 13 members of the pastry kitchen and 40 in the main kitchen."

She added: "It's my dream job. HIT made such a difference and gave me my confidence back."

For more information, please visit: www.hittraining.co.uk./chefacademy