Wyboston Lakes
Wyboston Lakes is the largest independently
owned, single site residential conference and training centre in
Northern Europe, based on the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire
border.
With three conference centres and a brasserie,
the skills of catering staff are put to the test every day serving
700 customers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a
week. World class experience, choice and flexibility are
offered to discerning event organisers for conferences, parties and
weddings.
With more than 25 years in the catering
industry, Executive Chef Fergus Martin has been at Wyboston Lakes
for nine years where he combines a wealth of experience in the
catering industry and as NVQ trainer for the armed services.
His working relationship with Bedford College extends to national
competitions, such as the Culinary Olympics, and he sees training
as an essential ingredient to successful catering and
hospitality.
Talking about training for his staff with
Bedford College, he says:
“All training is important and the advantage
with Bedford College is that it offers flexibility. Staff
from the College visit us and work with our apprentices on site to
cover NVQ Levels 1 to 3 and A1 Assessor courses. It would be
difficult for us to allow staff off site to attend day-release to
and so this flexibility is very important.”
“Staff from Bedford College spend a lot of
time working with our apprentices on an individual basis so they
can achieve to the best of their personal ability. Our staff
have developed and achieved qualifications that will be of great
value to them in their careers. Apprentices are now working
on different stages of study including NVQ Levels 1 to 3,
A1 Assessor Awards, and some choose to study specific areas of
catering such as cake decoration.”
“It is very rewarding to see staff
develop. After gaining NVQ Level 3 with Bedford College
one of our apprentices went on to study at degree level and now
works at The Square, a prestigious Michelin star restaurant in
London.”
“Bedford College gives apprentices a variety
of experiences, including national competitions where they are
exposed to different experiences and learn the ethos of excellent
catering. That is an interesting way of learning. It
makes them a little more ‘worldly’ and lets them see what people
can achieve when they set their minds and skills to it.”
What were your training objectives?
“To develop staff and to retain them. We
have a staff turnaround of around 4%, compared to 60-70% in the
catering industry.”
“Training is very important. If you
develop staff they feel they are learning and valued and want to
stay. A huge mistake would be to take them for granted.”
“Bedford College is pro-active and have
certainly done us proud.”
Were they achieved?
“Yes – all staff have achieved what they set
out to and gained qualifications to NVQ and A1 assessor
standard. Those that achieve A1 Assessor standard can assess
other chefs and give feedback. It keeps on-site training
ongoing and on a daily basis.”
“It is fascinating to see someone with raw
talent develop into a skilled and accomplished caterer or
chef.”
What has been the impact on your
performance?
“Bedford College enables our apprentices to
develop practical skills alongside mental skills. It gives
them in depth knowledge into different areas of catering and
hospitality and a greater understanding and ability to communicate
with others.”
“From the newest recruits to the most
experienced, if you are working in this industry it is important to
keep developing your skills. It is a continual process.”
What has been the impact on the organisation’s
performance?
“Well trained staff means you have a well run
business.”
“I consider staff from Bedford College as
friends and colleagues as opposed to a them and us scenario.
They build a relationship with employers and that is down to the
people who work for the College.”
“It is a two-way relationship – pulling
together to achieve success for our staff.”