The Gallaher Trust and 12 local participants celebrated the completion of the inaugural Get into Hospitality Academy, a new intensive five-week training and employment programme established to equip those from every walk of life with the practical confidence, skills and qualifications to progress in their lives and career.
With an investment of over £160,000 from The Gallaher Trust and delivered in partnership with Northern Regional College and the NI Hospitality School, the programme will run for three years and is expected to support 60 trainees with at least 50% getting jobs. A total of eight local employers are also supporting the academy including Galgorm Resort, Tullyglass House Hotel, Follow Coffee, Flax Steakhouse, Leighinmohr House, the Ticket Bakehouse, The Grouse Bar & Restaurant and Adair Arms Hotel.
While the course is completed within a hospitality environment, the overall aim of the programme is to support those who wish to enter the world of employment, whether they are returning to work, or securing their first role.
Pamela Steele, Business Engagement Officer at Northern Regional College explains: “The Get into Hospitality Academy is a short intensive course designed to attract applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds, ages and experience. Not only does the full schedule of varied and stimulating practical classes give each student a flavour of the various positions available in the hospitality sector, but they will come away with valuable qualifications in customer service and food safety and hygiene alongside employability, essential skills and teamwork that are transferrable into any role they choose to pursue.”
Caoimhe Browne, 31 from Ballymena is a mum of two and had been out of the workplace for 15 years. She signed up to the programme because she wanted more from life.
“I found it daunting to even think about getting back out there again. But this course has changed that for me, and I now realise that my future career path is looking bright. I became a completely new version of myself, with more self-awareness and oozing with confidence,” she said.
Tanya Reynolds, aged 46 from Portglenone, also completed the course and has secured employment after a successful trial placement day at Galgorm Resort. Speaking about the academy, Tanya said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the course, and I would highly recommend it. The tutors and training staff made the course a positive experience along with the other class members. The course was well put together and I gained confidence as the weeks went on.”
Elsewhere, Michelle Gregg, 50 from Portglenone has an interest in breakfast serving or waitressing and has been offered four placements since completing the programme.
Michelle said: “As for the enjoyment of the course, I cannot pinpoint one area I enjoyed the most, I loved each and every day. This academy really boosted my confidence as I hadn’t worked for a few months and meeting those guys in our group was a real ‘tonic’ each morning!”
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This latest cohort of students from the Get into Hospitality Academy brings the number of participants who have secured jobs to approximately 80 since the establishment of the NI Hospitality School in 2021, funded with an initial investment of £260,000 from The Gallaher Trust.
“Making the move into the workplace can be difficult no matter what your background,” says Lauren McAteer, a Trustee at The Gallaher Trust. “The Get into Hospitality Academy was designed to help participants overcome their fears and trepidation by giving them a ‘taster’ of what it can be like to secure a job and the types of jobs that are available in the hospitality sector. Feedback has been incredibly positive, whether the decision has been to secure available posts with our employment partners or use their new skills, qualifications and confidence to pursue other opportunities.”
For more information on the Get into Hospitality Academy, email: business.engagement@nrc.ac.uk and to learn more about the work of the Trust, visit the website: www.thegallahertrust.org.
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