A second phase of Browns catering and hospitality management apprenticeship scheme, in conjunction with Apprentice 1st, launched on October 30th following the successful first round of apprentices.

The apprentice plans will see Browns take on a further 20 plus apprentices. The new arrivals will add to the 60 apprentices already hired by Browns since it started its scheme in October 2012.

Participants of the first round will now graduate from Level 2 Food & Beverage Apprenticeship and Level 2 Professional Cookery Apprenticeship respectively and progress to a Team Leading qualification, setting them up for Level 3 next year.

Richard Cox, Brand Operations Director for Browns said: "Catering is not often a young person's first choice of career, and yet we have a large demand for skilled staff. By providing a structured framework for training and career progression, our apprenticeship scheme allows young people to learn while they earn and has enabled us to recruit and retain a number of excellent team members to join our very loyal and highly skilled existing work force.

We are offering extremely competitive rates of pay which are the equivalent to the full rate for the jobs being performed, plus the apprentices receive training with a nationally recognised qualification at the end of the 12-month training period."

Andrea Dodd, operations manager at Apprentice 1st, said: "Browns' apprenticeship programme shows the importance that leading employers are placing on Apprenticeships to help recruit and train talented young people to become the high quality chefs and hospitality professionals they need for their growing businesses.

By working together with employers to offer high quality apprenticeship programmes, we can show young people and their parents that there are clear opportunities to climb the ladder right to the top through taking up apprenticeships."

Browns first launched the scheme to kick-start a career development drive within the industry, initially investing £150,000 to launch the scheme which utilises an e-learning resource, along with assessments being carried out by 'Mentor Assessors' who are Browns' very own General Managers and Head Chefs, all of whom have years of experience behind them. This means each apprentice is guided and coached through their apprenticeship by an individual who is in a position to provide continuous support and tailor their skills and knowledge.

The training and experience offered is unique in the industry in that Browns uses fresh ingredients and employs different styles of preparation and cooking creativity for its daily specials. Browns also prides itself on top levels of customer service, which is recognised around the country in all its estate.

distributed by