Young's opens training centre

Young's has opened its £200,000 "centre of excellence" training centre for pub staff and licensees.

The Young's Food Development and Learning Centre, based in an old cinema near Young's HQ in Wandsworth, includes a development kitchen with facilities for training up to 12 people.

There's a beer training room featuring cellar equipment from Wells & Youngs, providing training on all aspects of looking after and serving beer.

A lecture room for 20 people, which can enable live link-ups to pubs via the internet, is available, and there are facilities for coffee and barista training.

A new programme of training courses for chefs is being planned - an online questionnaire has been issued to chefs at Young's managed pubs to gauge the content needed.

The new programme, which is expected to begin in April, will let chefs train up to head chef level and work with examiners from the Chefs' Guild.

Courses will also be open to tenanted and leased pubs.