Students undertake placements in Ayrshire venues
UNEMPLOYED adults in Ayrshire got a taste of a career in the hospitality industry last month as part of a national employment and training programme.
The students undertook work experience placements in venues across Ayrshire, including Elliots, Lido, Si!, the Dumfries Arms Hotel and Lochside House Hotel, as part of Project Bartender, which was delivered by Ayrshire College in partnership with Diageo through its Learning for Life programme.
The six-week course is designed to equip students with the skills and hands-on training required to pursue a career in Scotland’s hospitality industry.
Susan Earle, people development manager at Elliots and Lido owner Buzzworks, which provided three Project Bartender work experience placements, said: “The success of our business is ultimately down to the hard work and dedication of our staff to deliver a high standard of customer experience.
“Project Bartender is an excellent programme that provides people with the chance to learn high quality skills from industry experts, and offer job-specific training that will give them a head start in hospitality businesses like ours.”
Moira Birtwistle, director of hospitality, tourism, business and IT at Ayrshire College, said the hospitality industry offers a “wide range of excellent and exciting career options”.
“Scotland’s hospitality industry is flourishing, and we’ve designed this programme carefully with Diageo to help young adults in Ayrshire to gain the skills and qualifications to have a successful career within it,” she said.
Mark Baird, head of alcohol in society at Diageo, said: “Through Learning for Life, Diageo is committed to helping unemployed adults gain valuable technical expertise and life skills to support them in to employment.
“Working in partnership with businesses, education and training providers, as well as our stakeholders, is key to the success of the programme, and allows us to ensure that together we meet the demands of the local market and, ultimately, create more employment opportunities.”
