ACADEMIES

We are looking for talented and ambitious graduates who are looking to start a fun and exciting career in the hospitality industry. If you enjoy a challenge, thrive in a fast-paced environment but most of all enjoy making customers smile, why not join our family?

Apply now! Send your CV to: Graduates@wshsupport.com

GRADUATE PROGRAMME

The graduate scheme has been a fantastic journey for me, allowing me to further develop the skills I learnt at university. The guidance and freedom given in the scheme has allowed me to follow my own path, experiencing so many diverse parts of the business. The nine-month programme has flown by, with an abundance of training days, site visits and food festivals. Having just reached the end of the scheme, I feel like a completely different person to when I started. I’m really enjoying my new role as Operations Support Manager, after a fantastic nine months of learning and growth.

CASE STUDY

Matt Callaghan,

Operations Support Manager, South Region

Starting in BaxterStorey as a kitchen porter and wanting to develop my career as a chef in our business, I found out about the Chef Academy through my area managers. The academy has not only developed me as a chef, but also as a person. I’ve become much more organised and confident and have learnt various cooking processes.

I most enjoyed the day trips to the farms and fisheries, learning the importance of seasonality and how I can consider this when creating dishes for my menus. Since my time on the academy, I have now been promoted in to chef de partie, working at Mercedes Benz. I aspire to become sous chef in the near future, enabling me to further develop my leadership skills.

The advice I would give for anyone that wants to join the academy… it is hard work, you must be dedicated but the end result is so fulfilling. You get out what you put in!

Since its launch in 2003, the academy has seen more than 500 students graduate from its courses, providing our chefs with a variety of specialist qualifications including NVQ2, NVQ3 and a BSC in Culinary Arts.

Dona Murray, Chef De Partie, Central Region

The four-tiered programme consists of inspiring and challenging courses, designed to develop future chefs and apprentices to excel within the kitchen. Open to all our chefs within the business, the academy develops your kitchen finance skills, leadership techniques, culinary talent, creative thinking, nutrition knowledge and communication skills.

You will also experience learning opportunities such as visiting food markets and fisheries, following farm to fork processes.

Do you have a grounding passion for the art of coffee?

I’m a challenge-driven person and the Barista Academy has supported me with participating in numerous competitions. It also gave me access to coffee events and festivals, which helped me to improve my skills and knowledge of the coffee industry. My future aspiration is to have my own academy in Scotland, but until then I would be happy to contribute in the improvement of coffee quality in Scotland.

The advice I would give for anyone that wants to pursue a career in coffee would be to respect every part of the coffee-making chain, from farmers to roasters and customers. Don’t stop learning; coffee has endless things to discover so let the coffee drive you.

Having a love for fresh quality food, it was only right we launched a Barista Academy to train our baristas in making beautiful quality coffee. With our own dedicated training centre in London, our highly-skilled barista training team take you through the entire coffee journey from brewing, roasting to perfecting your sensory skills. They’re all SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) qualified trainers meaning you receive industry recognised qualifications upon completion.

Georgios Chatzianastasiou, Barista in Scotland

We love creating learning opportunities and developing our people. Our Advanced Management Journey (AMJ) is designed for current managers who want to take the next step in progressive learning.

My greatest learnings on the AMJ were self-awareness, coaching and project management skills. The highlight of my journey was receiving the news that the board wanted to invest in our business and development project.

The AMJ has an exceptional standard of experts supporting you through your journey with training, coaching and mentoring. Although challenging, the hard work that you will put in is totally worth it. When I look back on my progression, the project we implemented and the great friends I made along the way, I feel very thankful for the opportunity. I recommend it to anyone who is committed to their career, seeking a challenge and wanting to progress within the company.

Focusing on solid leadership and management development skills, at the heart of the AMJ are the business development projects, where our managers embrace real business topics and demand a creative approach to solving problems faced in the hospitality sector.

Charlotte Rouse, Project Manager

Advanced Management Journey

Interested in gaining qualifications and earning while you learn? Our apprenticeships offer work experience, a paid job and promotion possibilities from day one.

I started my commis chef apprenticeship with BaxterStorey in October 2017 and have loved it ever since. I wasn’t always sure what I wanted to do after leaving school, but hospitality seemed exciting. When I joined, I wasn’t sure what to expect; I thought I’d just be working in a staff canteen, not that I’d be working in a fine dining kitchen cooking for the board of directors.

Covering a variety of roles from kitchen and front of house, to administration and management, you can develop the appropriate skills to secure on-going employment. All learning and assessment is conducted ‘on the job’ so you can remain focused without the interruption of off-site study.

Our apprenticeships are available to all current employees or new entrants aged from 16 to 70, and are conveniently set at the level of entry to suit your interest.

I have had such an amazing mentor, who I’ve learnt so many cooking techniques from, some that a year ago I wouldn’t have even known about. I’m lucky to work in such a great team; we’re like one big family. I’m the youngest but it’s been a great opportunity to develop my communication skills.

The apprenticeship has given me so many opportunities. I completed my food safety and health and safety level 2 training, and I was lucky enough to visit Michelin star restaurant The Woodspeen. Wow, what a great experience that was! I worked in the larder, pastry kitchen, in service, it was incredible.

Esther Smith, Commis Chef Apprentice in London

My time so far on the Service Academy has been brilliant and helped me prepare for my promotion to Hospitality Manager. The communication workshop was my favourite, I learnt about different ways to interact with customers and the positive impact excellent customer service can have on our customers’ dining experience. The Academy has given me confidence in talking to both customers and our clients, gave me a wider understanding of industry, our company and our client.

I work with a sommelier who’s already taught me a lot about wines, but the WSET Level 1 was fun; I was able to put some of my wine knowledge to the test! Every time I come to the workshops I learn something new, and that’s been the best part.

Karolina Bochniak, Hospitality Manager

Delivering memorable experiences and excellent service begins with choosing the right people. Our Service Academy provides training support for our talented teams in continuing with their professional development.

The Academy offers a range of development opportunities depending on the experience and skillset of the individual. Within BaxterStorey we believe that learning should be supported through recognition and accreditation. The Service Academy offers an enhanced Level 2 apprenticeship for people wishing to pursue a 12-month personal development programme. We also offer internationally recognised WSET Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications, a first within the food service sector, alongside masterclasses and workshops.

By having the right people, creating a culture of care and then ensuring that they have the knowledge, skills and confidence to go above and beyond is what ensures we can deliver the very best experiences to our guests and clients.