17 May 2017
The Trackers Apprentice Programme is piloting a French exchange scheme that will enable a Jersey student to swap education and jobs with an apprentice from Caen.
From March 2018 an apprentice already working and training in the hospitality sector here will be paired with a French counterpart who is in a similar role. The initial exchange will be for two to three weeks but with a view to expanding the number of students and length of stay in future.
The project is being run in conjunction with the Handpicked Hotels group, which owns the Grand Jersey, L’Horizon Hotel in St Brelade and the St Pierre Park in Guernsey, where there will also be a pilot exchange.
Skills Jersey Operations Manager, Stuart Penn, said “This is a fantastic opportunity for one of our apprentices, particularly in the hospitality industry, which is based on travel and overseas experience. We are extremely fortunate to be working with Handpicked Hotels, who will provide a high-quality professional experience for the visiting apprentice.”
Trackers and the Highlands Culinary Arts will be working with ICEP, an apprentice college based in Caen, which has a large hospitality training section that offers different experiences to Jersey.
General Manager of Handpicked Hotels in the Channel Islands, Martin Kelly, said “As an Island it is important that we explore all possibilities for recruitment and we are extremely motivated to work with Skills Jersey on these types of initiatives. Their enthusiasm for any project is infectious and we are looking forward to developing L’Horizon and Grand Jersey’s partnership with Skills Jersey and education.”
Education Minister, Deputy Rod Bryans, said: “This new educational partnership with Caen has been developed alongside our discussions with the university and supports our desire to build mutually useful links with our French neighbours.
“It is excellent to have the backing of such well-known, established Jersey hotels and I wish the participants well and look forward to seeing how the project progresses. I would also like to thank the team from the Bureau Isles Anglo Normandes for their help in making this happen.”
gov.je