12 November 2018
Teams from the department of Children, Young People, Education and Skills came together over half term to deliver an exciting cookery course for young people.
Thirty students, aged 10 to 16, attended the Budding Chefs holiday club at the Academy Restaurant at Highlands College. Qualified teaching staff from the college worked together with the Skills Jersey team to deliver the sessions where students prepared, cooked, and served a number of dishes from around the world.
The course aimed to strengthen students’ interest in cooking and to give them real experience of cooking in a professional kitchen.
Senator Tracey Vallois, the Minister for Education, commented that the course was a great way for students to get a taste of the hospitality sector. She said: “Initiatives like Budding Chefs are a fantastic opportunity for children and young people to get some hands-on hospitality experience. I think it’s really important that we encourage younger islanders to focus on their hobbies and interests so that they start thinking about how their passions could feed into their career options for later life.”
A survey completed last year of more than 200 local employers found that hospitality businesses in particular were struggling to recruit the staff they need from the local labour market. Through initiatives like Budding Chefs, Skills Jersey hopes to increase young islanders’ interest in hospitality, so that they will see the sector as a potential career option when they leave school.
Building on the success of the Budding Chefs holiday courses, Skills Jersey will be supporting Highlands College in a further four-week cookery course for young people. Intended to further develop 11 to 16 year olds’ interest in hospitality, the Budding Chefs evening classes will provide a fun environment for students to learn about all aspects of food preparation and production. Anyone wishing to find out more can email The.Academy@highlands.ac.uk
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