College projects boost training

by Andrew Sangster

Two colleges are set to open new facilities offering catering and hotel students a real working environment.

The moves are part of a growing trend towards involving students in commercial operations.

At Swansea College, work is almost complete on a new education centre featuring a restaurant and conference accommodation open to the public on a commercial basis.

The Shetland College of Further Education is opening a new catering department in the Shetland Hotel which will also lead to students working within the hotel itself.

Nicola Salter, spokeswoman for the Hotel & Catering Training Company, welcomed the two developments. "These are brilliant initiatives. A realistic working environment is the best way to gain a qualification, and schemes like this will give employers more choice when looking for skilled staff," she said.

The £1.7m project in Swansea involved conversion of the 18th Century Sketty Hall at Singleton Park. It provides a restaurant suite, lounge bar, kitchen, lecture rooms and 19 bedrooms.

The complex will offer training to more than 100 catering students a year and also be open to the public for restaurant meals, functions and conferences.

Principal of Swansea College, Cyril Lewis, said: "We have a licence to open seven days a week and, as well as offering excellent training, we can even offer jobs to the students outside of their study time."

The first function will be held on 7 February, with students and lecturers cooking and serving. The college is also recruiting a full-time chef.

The £300,000 project in the Shetland Islands opens on 24 February. It is a purpose-built training kitchen and classroom that will accommodate more than 20 students.

As well as instruction in the training kitchen, the students will come to the hotel for one day a week during the winter to provide food for guests.

General manager of the property, Bob Walker, approached the college with the idea. Funding for the project came from the Shetland Islands Council and Shetland Enterprise.

"The scheme benefits the students as they will be studying in a working hotel environment," said Mr Walker.

"And the scheme benefits the whole hotel industry on the island by providing a pool of well-trained potential employees."

He said it was hoped eventually to involve students in other work in the hotel, such as housekeeping or bar work.