TREBARWITH-based chef, Tom Finney, has joined other budding apprentices from across Cornwall and beyond as the first cohort on board St Austell Brewery’s brand new chef scholarship course, designed to instill the skills, experience and confidence to create the next generation of head chefs, restaurateurs and leaders within the hospitality sector.

Tom, 26, is currently employed as a commis chef at Trebarwith’s Port William Hotel, but is hoping to spread his wings within the hospitality business, thanks to the custom-built course being offered by St Austell Brewery.

While embedding the standards of the government’s new apprenticeship qualifications, the chef scholarship offers candidates a world of extra learning opportunities, provided by the brewery’s existing award-winning academy 1852 training centre, as well as invaluable first-hand experiences working with high-ranking head chefs within the business, en route to gaining an industry-accredited qualification at the end of the 12-month scholarship.

Responsible for helping to build the course, which will be delivered in partnership with the nationwide HIT Training organisation, brewery learning and development manager, Richard Parkes, said: “We are passionate about developing chefs here at the brewery. This is so much more than an apprenticeship and through this unique training course we hope to be able to set these students on the path to fantastic careers in the South West.”

According to Richard, the benefits of the new scholarship are threefold, offering training in a wide variety of skill sets dealing with fresh and world class, local produce; working in one of the best environments in the country and, uniquely, offering students the chance to work and learn in the wide and diverse St Austell Brewery estate of country, coastal and city-based kitchens.

The chef scholarship is just one stage in St Austell Brewery’s drive to build career opportunities in the South West, with a full-scale chef academy already planned as part of academy 1851, to be located at the Cat and Fiddle pub, outside Exeter.

Richard continued: “We are looking to embed training and development opportunities throughout our business. Our head chefs recently undertook specialist leadership training so that they have the skills to impart their knowledge and experience to those working beneath them, as part of a structured in-house career programme.”

As the new cohort were introduced to the course at a special event at the Brewery’s Visitor Centre, catering development manager, Nick Hemming, was on hand to deliver a master class in knife skills and ideas for cooking with freshly caught Cornish hake.

Having overseen the development of many young chefs within the company, Nick is only too aware of the importance of nurturing local talent, and said: “Most of these guys have come into the kitchen at porter level and fallen in love with the job. You have to be able to capture that and give young people the opportunity to see proper outcomes and benefits for their labours, which is what this course can really deliver.”

Now a commis chef at the Port William Hotel, Tom started studying catering at school, and then left the business for a while before coming back as a kitchen porter. He has spent the last four years working his way up in the kitchen slowly, and is looking forward to going even further.

Tom said: “I want to gain more experience working with food in general to give me more confidence and to learn how to run all aspects of the kitchen.

“I would really like to be able to take charge of the kitchen and use the confidence and experience that I gain to pass on knowledge to others moving forward.”TREBARWITH-based chef, Tom Finney, has joined other budding apprentices from across Cornwall and beyond as the first cohort on board St Austell Brewery’s brand new chef scholarship course, designed to instill the skills, experience and confidence to create the next generation of head chefs, restaurateurs and leaders within the hospitality sector.

Tom, 26, is currently employed as a commis chef at Trebarwith’s Port William Hotel, but is hoping to spread his wings within the hospitality business, thanks to the custom-built course being offered by St Austell Brewery.

While embedding the standards of the government’s new apprenticeship qualifications, the chef scholarship offers candidates a world of extra learning opportunities, provided by the brewery’s existing award-winning academy 1852 training centre, as well as invaluable first-hand experiences working with high-ranking head chefs within the business, en route to gaining an industry-accredited qualification at the end of the 12-month scholarship.

Responsible for helping to build the course, which will be delivered in partnership with the nationwide HIT Training organisation, brewery learning and development manager, Richard Parkes, said: “We are passionate about developing chefs here at the brewery. This is so much more than an apprenticeship and through this unique training course we hope to be able to set these students on the path to fantastic careers in the South West.”

According to Richard, the benefits of the new scholarship are threefold, offering training in a wide variety of skill sets dealing with fresh and world class, local produce; working in one of the best environments in the country and, uniquely, offering students the chance to work and learn in the wide and diverse St Austell Brewery estate of country, coastal and city-based kitchens.

The chef scholarship is just one stage in St Austell Brewery’s drive to build career opportunities in the South West, with a full-scale chef academy already planned as part of academy 1851, to be located at the Cat and Fiddle pub, outside Exeter.

Richard continued: “We are looking to embed training and development opportunities throughout our business. Our head chefs recently undertook specialist leadership training so that they have the skills to impart their knowledge and experience to those working beneath them, as part of a structured in-house career programme.”

As the new cohort were introduced to the course at a special event at the Brewery’s Visitor Centre, catering development manager, Nick Hemming, was on hand to deliver a master class in knife skills and ideas for cooking with freshly caught Cornish hake.

Having overseen the development of many young chefs within the company, Nick is only too aware of the importance of nurturing local talent, and said: “Most of these guys have come into the kitchen at porter level and fallen in love with the job. You have to be able to capture that and give young people the opportunity to see proper outcomes and benefits for their labours, which is what this course can really deliver.”

Now a commis chef at the Port William Hotel, Tom started studying catering at school, and then left the business for a while before coming back as a kitchen porter. He has spent the last four years working his way up in the kitchen slowly, and is looking forward to going even further.

Tom said: “I want to gain more experience working with food in general to give me more confidence and to learn how to run all aspects of the kitchen.

“I would really like to be able to take charge of the kitchen and use the confidence and experience that I gain to pass on knowledge to others moving forward.”