Boston Tea Party Cafe & N-Gaged Training are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative – a sector based work academy in hospitality – a scheme designed to ensure that those looking for work in this industry have the right skills & experience to succeed.
Launched by the Government in conjunction with Job Centre Plus at the end of last year, sector based work academies form an important part of their overall strategy to combat unemployment. Academies are designed to offer a combination of training, work experience & a guaranteed job interview to help motivated people get ready for work.
The academy set up by the BTP/N-Gaged partnership is unique as the training has been specifically designed with BTP’s ethos in mind & in line with their core strategy of investing in local communities. It incorporates the attainment of nationally recognised qualifications that can be used throughout the hospitality industry – certification in hospitality, barista training, food safety & hygiene as well as customer service.
BTP’s role in the partnership is to assist with the design & delivery of the training, to offer a work experience placement as well as a guaranteed job interview on successful completion of the course. The first four successful candidates, all from the Bristol area, have already completed both the training & work experience stages of the scheme & BTP is thrilled to announce that three are now already in post in one of their Bristol cafes. BTP plans another course to run before the summer & is committed to further courses & plans to expand next year if it proves successful.
Sam Roberts, BTP Managing Director, said “This initiative works brilliantly for all involved. We have the opportunity to recruit staff with the right skills & training as we have trained them ourselves & we remain true to our core belief in supporting the communities we work in. For the candidates they receive all the necessary training & experience & even if they don’t end up working for us, they are work ready & have the whole of the hospitality industry to choose from. We are very proud to be helping local unemployed people back into work. We already have made our first three official appointments!”
Simon Arnold, Managing Director of N- Gaged, said ” The partnership with Boston Tea Party has given us a unique opportunity to provide training that really does prepare people for work. Anyone who passes through the academy will be able to make a real contribution to any future employer.”
The Boston Tea Party is one of the West Country’s best known & most popular independent café chains with stores in Barnstaple, Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Honiton, Ringwood, Worcester & Salisbury. It is famous for its coffee & tea & has established a well-deserved reputation for creating delicious, feel-good & affordable food. The café strives to source ethically sound products from West Country suppliers & uses only free range meat & eggs.