The Junior Chefs’ Academy programme, which is on offer at South West College’s Enniskillen campus, has been awarded Hospitality Training Initiative of the Year at the inaugural Licensed Catering News (LCN) Awards in Belfast.

Introduced to Northern Ireland by People 1st the sector skills council for the hospitality and leisure industry in partnership with leading contract caterers Compass Group UK and Ireland it was supported by the Department for Employment and Learning.

Celebrating its success are left to right, Suzanne Workman SWC, Andy Aston Compass, Sandra Gorman  People 1st,  Anne McCracken  Compass and  Regina Shallow SWC course lecturer.

The Awards organised by LCN, the trade publication for the hospitality industry since 1940,  aim to keep standards at the optimum ‘five star’ level while recognizing and rewarding professionalism and good business practice.

“We believe The Junior Chefs Academy is creating a new generation of Northern Irish chefs that will breathe new life into the hospitality industry. It has been well received by the industry and it is an incredible achievement for the programme to be recognised for its successes after just one year.”

Roisin McKee of People 1st

This sustainability appealed to the judges who commented on how the programme  “demonstrated a fundamental understanding of the needs of the hospitality sector and went about creating solutions which will have far reaching and long term benefits.’’

The Junior Chefs’ Academy is an industry led initiative supported by The Institute of Hospitality, the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Safefood and City and Guilds. Over 100 young people have already graduated from the programme and a further 12 programmes will take place this academic year. Training is delivered by the six regional colleges at campuses across Northern Ireland.