Cooking up national recognition

Chefs across the UK will be given a clear career pathway following the launch of exciting new Apprenticeships, which can trace their roots back to Welshpool.

The newly accredited BTEC Level 2 Intermediate and Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeships - Foundation Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship in Wales -  in Craft Cuisine, which were launched on November 28, have been exclusively designed and developed by Pearson Work Based Learning in association with the Applied Ability Awards (AAA) National Committee.

For the first time, learners can now combine the AAA assessment with a full Apprenticeship programme and have their practical skills independently endorsed by senior professional chefs.

A driving force behind the pilot programme and the development of the new Apprenticeships is Arwyn Watkins, managing director of award-winning Cambrian Training Company, based in Welshpool and a member of the AAA National Committee.

“It was a pioneering award in Wales and now it’s the first time that qualifications have been developed from the ground up rather than the top down,” said Mr Watkins, a former chef apprentice in the Army. “They are directly based on the needs and interests of those working in the catering and hospitality industry.

“When we brought the Applied Ability Awards to Wales, I recognised that it was a powerful product because it was in the ownership of a committee representing all the chef associations in the UK. Now we are reaping the rewards of this pioneering work in Wales.”

He commended the chefs, employers, mentors, Welsh Government, People 1st and the Welsh Culinary Association for their contribution to the pilot project, which represented a partnership solution to the skills and labour needs of the Welsh catering and hospitality industry.