Term begins at chef school

The Butlers Wharf Chef School finally opens its doors to students from next week. Its director hopes it will help solve the industry's skills shortages and boost the profile of careers within the sector.

"The school is unique because we have designed our courses after spending months talking to the industry and seeing what the industry wants," John Roberts, director of the school, told Caterer.

"The school is also unusual in its variety of courses and sponsoring bodies - more than 35 restaurants and catering companies are now involved in sponsoring places or providing materials, and a number of local authorities are also funding places," he added.

Many of the school's courses were already nearly full, revealing how much the industry needed such a school, said Mr Roberts.

Its students would range from the unemployed on six-week basic kitchen assistant courses, to top chefs on advanced chef diploma or masterclass courses, he added.

The school has a capacity for hundreds of students and is offering full-time, part-time, evening and weekend courses in everything from front of house skills, to cooking techniques and wine-tasting.