Bournemouth & Poole College Cook up a Storm

A huge congratulations goes out to the trainee chefs from Bournemouth and Poole College- one of our 8 excellence accreditedcolleges in the UK who run the Professional Cookery Diploma. Who yesterday celebratedfinishing their studies on the Specialised Chefs' Scholarship. They cooked up a storm for VIP guests who attended their graduation dinner at the Royal Automobile Club, London.

Article from eat out Magazine explains all:
www.eatoutmagazine.co.uk/online_article/Bournemouth-and-Poole-College-trainee-chefs-cook-up-a-storm-/8377

Apprentice finalists prove the point

“No one knows who will emerge victorious in The Apprentice final on Sunday, but one thing is sure – the winner will have worked and trained in the hospitality sector. Kate and Yasmina are shining examples of the skills that the hospitality industry provides – customer service, management, sales and marketing - skills which are extremely transferable as they have proven throughout the series.

“With UK jobs being threatened across the UK economy, hospitality has never been a more attractive career choice. The sectoris a true meritocracy with talent afforded wonderful opportunities to grow and prosper as evidenced by the success of the two finalists. Hospitality develops the skills to succeed and even in these difficult conditions it will be looking to recruit between 500,000 and 1 million people over the coming year. We are on the cusp of the biggest ‘staycation’ of our generation – the Olympics are just round the corner and the knowledge, skills, confidence and business acumen learnt from working in hospitality mean that Kate and Yasmina have a huge amount of talent lying behind their smiles.”

To see great smiles from the hospitality sector and to post your smiles to win prizes and have a chance to become one of the smiles of britain visit www.smilesofbritain.co.uk

David McHattie

CEO

National Skills Academy for Hospitality

Smiles of Britain Launches

SMILES OF BRITAIN LAUNCHES TO

CELEBRATE BRITAIN’S BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

The country offers service with a smile during its biggest ever ‘staycation’

This summer is set to be our biggest ‘staycation’ ever. So the National Skills Academy for Hospitality is launching a campaign to celebrate the best of British hospitality.

The Smiles of Britain campaign encourages members of the public to be on the lookout for the nation’s warmest and most welcoming smiles. And, when they see one, to snap a picture and share it on the Academy’s campaign website (www.SmilesOfBritain.co.uk)

But as well as helping to highlight Britain at its best, there is also a serious commercial message underpinning the campaign. As David McHattie, chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Hospitality, explains:

“The role of the National Skills Academy for Hospitality is to seek out the very best training, development and education programmes in hospitality, to recognise and celebrate that excellence, and to lay down the gauntlet for the whole industry to follow their lead.

“As part of this process we want to shine a light on those in our sector who are leading the way in customer service. And, because excellent customer service invariably starts with a smile, we have launched the Smiles of Britain campaign.”

It’s a message which is reinforced by Adrian Furnham, Professor of Psychology at University College London:

“Smiling is not just a display of happiness, smiling also increases happiness. And when someone smiles at us, we tend to smile back, so a smile can be viewed as a ‘gift’ which has a positive physical and psychological impact on the receiver.

“Consequently, in hospitality and sales situations a smile from the vendor increases the possibility of the customer smiling which, in turn, increases trust and liking and subsequently a mutual sense of co-operation and helpfulness. In short, smiling doesn’t just bond people together – it oils the wheels of commerce too.”

McHattie added:

“Later this year the Academy will be launching funded customer service training programmes for those in the hospitality sector who want to take their skills to the highest level. But what better foundation could we hope to build these skills on than a warm and welcoming smile?”

To encourage people to upload as many smiles as possible, the Smiles of Britain website not only enables contributors to pinpoint where they photographed their smiles, but also to put them in one of four categories:

1. Service with a smile for great customer service smiles

2. Team smiles for groups of people smiling

3. Smiles of the unexpected which will hopefully catch some of the nation’s grumpiest people in an unguarded moment of good humour

4. Just a great smile which really speaks for itself!

There will be weekly prizes for the photographers who have captured the best smiles, and at the end of the summer the twenty sunniest smiles will be invited to attend a photo-shoot in London where they will also meet the celebrity judges who will be choosing Britain’s Smile Ambassador for 2010.

About Smiles of Britain

The National Skills Academy for Hospitality has developed the Smiles of Britain campaign to identify and celebrate smiles as the key component of excellent customer service this summer.

Smiles of Britain (www.smilesofbritain.co.uk) is designed to get everyone this summer to snap a smile when they see it and share it. The campaign will ask the public to photograph the smiles of those serving them and share these photos by uploading them onto our social networking site. But, it’s not just about taking pictures of people in the hospitality industry. We welcome photographs of great smiles of individuals / groups belonging to the public in general.

The Academy recognises that customer service across the country can be a little patchy, but there are some examples of great service and Smiles of Britain is designed to celebrate customer service champions and encourage companies lagging behind to do better.

It wants Britain to be recognised for the very best customer service. It wants to hold up those who provide the perfect foundation for a fantastic experience – a smile – and encourage others to reach those heights. Inevitably, the campaign will foster a healthy element of competition between regions.

Regional roll-out of Smiles of Britain

The campaign will roll out in regions across England from 21 May 2009.

Date	Region
21 May 2009	North West
4 June 2009	Yorkshire
10 June 2009	West Midlands
18 June 2009	London
24 June 2009	East Midlands
26 June 2009	South East
1 July 2009	South West
15 July 2009	East of England
23 July 2009	North East

About the National Skills Academy for Hospitality

The National Skills Academy for Hospitality was launched in March 2009 to shine a light on the best training in the sector. Smiles of Britain not only provides an opportunity to highlight the best examples of customer service during the staycation, but is also a dress rehearsal for London 2012 when the country will be serving the nation. The Academy aims to create a brand that learners, parents and employers can trust as the benchmark for excellence in hospitality training. Companies and educational establishments whose training programmes receive the Academy’s seal of approval will benefit from high profile recognition, marketing and funding support.

Living Ventures Apprenticeship Recognised!

ANDY BURNHAM SUPPORTS THE NATIONAL SKILLS ACADEMY FOR HOSPITALITY
AS IT RECOGNISES EXCELLENCE IN THE LIVING VENTURES MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

The National Skills Academy for Hospitality, and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Burnham MP, celebrated the excellence of the Living Ventures management development programme at an event at the company’s restaurant, The Grill on the Alley in Manchester.

The training programme delivered by Living Ventures is the manifestation of a deep seated passion for training and development and the root of their continued business success. It will also form the blueprint for an advanced apprenticeships programme accessible to businesses across the sector – it is the first of its kind in the hospitality sector and has been developed to meet the management and leadership needs of the sector.

The Academy’s approved training programmes will enable young people to choose the highest-quality training being offered by the industry. They will give people the best opportunity to acquire the skills necessary for a long-term career in one of the UK’s most important industries.

In identifying, endorsing and promoting the best hospitality training programmes, the Academy aims to create a brand that learners, parents and employers can trust as the benchmark for excellence in hospitality training. Companies and educational establishments whose training programmes receive the Academy’s seal of approval will benefit from high profile recognition, marketing and funding support.

David McHattie, the Academy’s chief executive, said:
“Living Ventures’ takes the apprentices through a journey of learning which encompasses on the job development and experience both front of house and in the kitchen to equip them to be successful in pub, bar and restaurant management. It produces managers and leaders of tomorrow and the generosity of Living Ventures in sharing their successful format is also to be admired.

“By developing our application and approval system for programmes, and with our access to funding opportunities, we aim to define the benchmark for excellence in hospitality training. Shining a light on the excellence found and increasing the availability of these programmes will not only raise the standards of training throughout the hospitality industry, but enhance our reputation with the talent of the future.”

Tim Bacon chief executive of Living Ventures, added:
“We designed our training to provide the opportunity for newcomers in the industry to develop the management skills, product knowledge and financial acumen they need to run a successful restaurant, bar or pub. Good people management and training is critical to the success of any business in our industry and runs through our veins at Living Ventures.
We are grateful to the National Skills Academy for Hospitality for their support and recognition and look forward to delivering National Qualifications to our team and others wish to seize the opportunity.”

Sophie Chinnery, a graduate who has been through the programme at Living Ventures, said:
“I started the Living Ventures training programme without a single qualification to my name, but it has provided me with the skills, knowledge and confidence to grow and I am now a manager. Living Ventures is a company that people would die to work for.”

In addition to this advanced apprenticeship, the training endorsed to date by the Academy includes diplomas in professional cookery, the Compass Junior Chefs Academy and chef master classes. National Skills Academy status for an employer, educational establishment or training provider identifies excellence in both content and delivery.

The first suite of programmes approved and recognised by the Academy are:
New Advanced Apprenticeship: In partnership with Living Ventures, the North West-based restaurant group, the National Skills Academy is developing the new Advanced Apprenticeship Management Development programme. The programme to be offered by Living Ventures provides the opportunity for newcomers in the industry to develop the right skills, product knowledge and financial acumen to run a successful pub restaurant or bar. The company’s programme, which will be nationally recognised, defines a new benchmark for apprenticeships. On completion of the work with Awarding Bodies Living Ventures will provide national qualifications to the graduates and receive government funding to support their development of skills. The Academy hopes this opportunity,which can be replicated will be grasped by other companies.

Diplomas in Professional Cookery: Diplomas in Professional Cookery build on all that was valued about the City and Guilds 706 suite of qualifications. The first colleges acknowledged by the Academy to be setting a new standard of delivery in chef qualifications are Westminster Kingsway, Leeds Thomas Danby, Newcastle and University College Birmingham. By promoting these excellent colleges the Academy believes it will be able to endorse other colleges delivering this high quality qualification and so raise the standard of cookery training throughout the country.

Junior Chefs Academy: This 10-week Saturday morning college programme offered by Compass Group gives 14-16 year olds the opportunity to learn basic cooking skills. 1,800 people have already been on the programme and 68 per cent have gone on to formal chef training. With the support of the North West Regional Development Agency, the Academy is launching the Compass Junior Chefs Academy in three new colleges with three programmes each – 144 places in total. All the places have been taken up and the Academy plans to approve more colleges to deliver this excellent programme in Kendall, south Trafford and Accrington

Chef Master Classes: The Academy is endorsing a series of master classes which allow students, chefs and food enthusiasts the opportunity to top up their skills. The first was run by Cyrus Todiwala at his restaurant, Café Spice Namasté. Others are currently being planned.

Confidence in the Economy or a Bombshell?

Gambling on growth or taxing the rich?

Is he your Darling?

Here is a summary of this year's budget:

• Alcohol duties will go up by 2% from midnight tonight.
• There will be an increase in tobacco duty of 2% from 6pm tonight. These measures will raise over £6 billion by 2012.
• Main capital allowance for firms to be doubled to 40%
• £2 Billion of help for young unemployed
• £1 Billion dedicated to boost the housing market
• £2000 car scrappage scheme
• Public sector borrowing to hit £175 billion this year - 12% of GDP - but to fall to 9.1% in two years.
• From April 2011 pension tax relief restricted for those on incomes over £150,000.
• No income tax increase this year, but the planned new top income tax rate of 45% on incomes above £150,000 will be increased to 50% and take effect from next April – this is a year early.
• Fuel duty will increase by 2p per litre in September and then by 1p a litre above indexation each April for the next four years.
• £5 billion further efficiency savings in public services, rising to £9 billion by 2013/14.
• Capital investment to continue until the London Olympics, and to be 1.25% of GDP after 2013.
• Extra £1 billion to help climate change measures.
• £50 million to be provided to modernise armed forces housing.
• Incentives to be provided for North Sea oil exploration.
• Extra funding to extend broadband network.
• £750 million strategic investment fund announced to help emerging technologies.
• World's first carbon budget - £435 million extra for energy efficiency measures for businesses and homes.
• £525 million new funds and support for offshore wind projects.
• £4 billion more for renewable energy projects.
• New power plants exempt from climate change levy from 2013.
• From April next year, child element of child tax credit up £20.
• Grandparents who are carers of children will see that work qualify towards state pension.
• Pensions will rise in real terms.
• Winter fuel allowance for pensioners to be maintained at the higher level.
• Capital disregard on Pension Credit to be raised from £6,000 to £10,000 from November.
• ISA savings tax free limit increased to £10,000 (£5,100 in cash) for over-50s this year and for everyone else next year.