A South Devon pub is blazing a trail by winning an award for its training, as Phil Mellows explains.
At last, pubs have a reason to feel proud that their training is among the best in the country. The hero is the Anchor Inn, which last week became the first hospitality employer to reach the finals of the National Apprenticeship Awards. It just missed out on the title for the under 50 employees category, losing to a Somerset hair salon. But the Anchor has raised the profile of training in the industry - and shown just what an independent pub can achieve.
In the village of Starcross on the South Devon coast the Anchor has a restaurant specialising in fresh seafood straight off the local boats. Wine evenings not only bring customers, they also serve as an opportunity to stretch staff to come up with new menus. It is typical of a learning culture that the Anchor even invites staff from other local pubs to come and see "real" cooking in action.
The pub is currently training two apprentices, Zoe Keenan, 19, who is concentrating on cooking, and Lee Prior, 17, who is focusing on catering, bar and service. Apprenticeships enable under-18s to serve behind a bar. The study programme for each apprentice was individually chosen to suit their capabilities and interests.
Beyond Apprenticeships, the pub has been doing NVQ training for 11 years now. It has three chefs at NVQ Levels 1, 2 and 3 and four barstaff have NVQs.
"We have high expectations from our staff," says partner at the Anchor, Alison Saunders. "By offering Apprenticeships and NVQ training we have been able to not only develop existing skills but also the chance to see it as an important and professional career move, where they can improve their skills and gain promotion.
"The learning never stops. We hire staff who are committed to improving themselves and the constant training and development gives us our competitive edge and inevitably improves the business. Across the board, we experience extraordinary staff loyalty and commitment."
Pictured: Alison Saunders (centre) with apprentices Lee Prior and Zoe Keenan.
How Apprenticeships work
Apprenticeships are funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and are open to young people aged 16 to 24. They get on and off-the-job training while they are being paid. There are two levels:
- Apprenticeships, equivalent to GCSE level, incorporate a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) to Level 2, key skills and in some cases a technical certificate
- Advanced Apprenticeships, equivalent to A-levels, include an NVQ to Level 3, key skills and a technical certificate.
Young Apprenticeships for 14 to 16-year-olds and Adult Apprenticeships for people aged 24 and over are being piloted.
More than 1,300 hospitality employers responded to the LSC's campaign to promote the scheme following its relaunch last year, looking to offer Apprenticeships in customer service, business administration and community and office work as well as hospitality itself.
For more information contact your local LSC or go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk.