9th February 2022
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) offers a wide-range of apprenticeships across all industry sectors, so you can earn whilst you learn. We recently chatted to Aston Marina’s Commercial Manager, Neil Nicholls to hear all about the apprenticeships they offer within the Hospitality and Catering Sector, and to find out what it’s like to be an apprentice at the award-winning venue.
Q. How many apprentices do you currently employ at Aston Marina?
A. We currently employ seven apprentices across the business.
Q. Which areas of your business do offer apprenticeships in?
A. There are lots of fantastic opportunities here at Aston Marina. We currently employ apprentices in our kitchen, front of house and events teams, and we are also looking for someone to join our Grounds Keeping & Maintenance Team. We are looking to expand our apprenticeship programme to offer multiple new positions over the next 12 months, so exciting times ahead!
Q. Typically, what kind of roles are available to apprentices?
A. Being in the hospitality industry, primarily our apprentices are recruited as Front of House Team Member, Front of House Supervisor, Events Supervisor and Commis Chef. As part of our apprentice scheme expansion we have also recently listed a new position for an Apprentice Customer Care & Business Administrator, which is a fantastic new role with lots of scope for career development. We’re always on the lookout for potential new apprentices to join our award-winning teams, so keep a look-out on the NSCG website for new opportunities.
Q. What training opportunities are on offer to your apprentices?
A. We work closely with the team at NSCG to meet all of apprentices needs to ensure they maximise every opportunity available to them. This includes one-on-one mentoring, assessor support, additional study and admin time during their shifts to complete their work. We offer our apprentices access to ingredients, tools, equipment and anything else that they may need to help aid their development.
Q. What can an apprentice expect from working with you?
A. Apprentices can not only expect personal tuition from our highly experienced teams but they will get valuable experience in what it’s like to work within a multi award-winning business. To add some variety to the training and give our apprentices that extra level of skill, each apprentice will spend time in each one of our 3 venues to get a rounded experience within the business.
Q. What can an apprentice expect to earn?
A. We start all our apprentices on above the minimum wage. They also get monthly tips and a pay review every 12 months. Once they have completed their course, we offer them a fast-track development plan to progress throughout the business to the level they wish to achieve. We also cover the cost of all additional training undertaken.
Q. What benefits do apprentices receive as employees?
A. Our apprentices can benefit from discounted equipment, free uniform, paid study time, staff friends and family discount, highly discounted meals when at work, mentoring and development from the senior team.
Q. How can apprentices progress within your business on completion of their apprenticeship?
A. We offer career progression plans for all of our apprentices. Recent apprentices due to finish their course this year have progression plans set to move in to management positions. We really invest in our staff and see this as a long-term career opportunity.
Visit nscg.ac.uk/startnow for more information and to apply for one of our vacancies.
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