Employer initiative unites students and businesses in Bude

Last week the Hospitality Table Cornwall project travelled to Bude to host their second forum for local hospitality businesses.

The forum, held at Budehaven School on 28 March, was a way for guests in the North & East of Cornwall to hear about the project’s short and long-term plans for the future while seeing how the project can work with employers to benefit businesses and the industry as a whole.

The project’s Chairman Jude Kereama, Chef Patron at Kota and Kota Kai also inspired guests about his journey into the industry, his passion for hospitality and how he believes the project will inspire future talent.

Hospitality Table Cornwall is an ESF-funded project delivered by Truro and Penwith College and is led solely by like-minded employers from the Cornish hospitality sector. The projects’ aims are to create initiatives that increase recruitment, raise aspirations for quality careers and develop industry-relevant learning pathways to improve skills, productivity and quality.

On the day, a complimentary afternoon tea was made and served by students at Budehaven School, who were supervised by the project’s professional chefs and Front of House team. The event proved the importance of linking schools up with employers, as a number of guests commented on how fantastic it was to witness how enthusiastic and engaged the students were during the event.

Michelle Brown, HR and Development Manager at the Headland Hotel said: “It was brilliant to experience the ownership and pride the children took in presenting their afternoon tea – it’s so good to see.”

Guests also benefited from brainstorming their businesses needs with other employers, while the project took the chance to address how it could support those needs with initiatives such as tailored courses as well as business and school events in order to inspire the next generation about the industry.

The forum was initiated by a trip earlier in the year to Budehaven School to speak to students about the career opportunities available, while delivering chef demonstrations. All students interested in hospitality could watch the demo, taste the food prepared by the chef and ask any questions to the experts; this visit sparked the interest to host the this forum at the school while incorporating the students into the business engagement.

Matt Davis, Project Coordinator of Hospitality Table Cornwall said: “It was fantastic to be able to host the forum in Bude, especially within Budehaven School who have such fantastic facilities that allow the students to be hands on with our team in creating the afternoon tea.  Bude has many great businesses around and we are looking forward to continuing to work with them creating tailor made events and courses to help upskill and inspire their staff.  A huge thank you to Budehaven School and to those who attended – we look forward to our ongoing work with you. “

For more information about the project and how it can benefit you, visit the website at www.hospitalitytablecornwall.co.uk or call 01872 308197.