Trainees get catering off to a 'tea'

A newly-opened waterside café staffed entirely by catering industry trainees has been given the green light by Birmingham’s ‘knights of the road.’

The thousands of coach and lorry drivers who make a living pounding the UK’s highways are renowned for their ability to seek out the best eateries, and word spreads through their network faster than it takes to wolf a bacon butty.

So, even though the Top of the Locks café at Mill Wharf, close to the city centre, has only been open for a few months, it is already on the drivers’ ‘good grub’ radar.

National Express coach driver Steve McNamara – who popped in recently for a bite to eat - had nothing but praise for the quality of the food and service, offering the view that the canalside location was ‘perfect.’

The café is the result of a pioneering collaboration between ENTA – a social enterprise of 33 years standing that helps some of the city’s most vulnerable communities – and Birmingham Hotel and Catering Academy (BHCA).

The Academy provided an eight week module which formed an important part of the 22 week training course, which aims to equip trainees with the skills they need to pursue a career in the hotel, restaurant and leisure sector.

The course provides on-the-job experience for trainees who staff the busy café while learning the essentials of catering, including food and kitchen hygiene, personal presentation, food presentation and other skills, from the BHCA module.

Pamela Wood, ENTA’s social enterprise development manager, said: “ENTA has always had a café, but when we moved into our new, larger premises at Mill Wharf, we had a much bigger area that we were able to kit out as a training facility, using donated equipment.

“We provide the chef and the café manager, and BHCA provides the trainees who work in the café under supervision, as part of a pre-apprentice catering course designed to give young people a taste of what a career in catering might be like.”

ENTA itself has agreed to take two of the youngsters on as apprentices, and efforts will be made to find positions for any others that are interested.

BCHA director and general manager Steve Dunne, said: “This is the first time we have worked with ENTA on something like this, and we would like to do so again.

“Three of the youngsters taking part are already being progressed onto apprenticeships, and there is a chance that others will follow.”

Candidates who take up apprenticeships improve their chances of going on to full time employment in the leisure and catering sector.

Mr Dunn added: “Because we have nationwide connections, we are able to find out where the vacancies are in the sector.”

Endorsing the programme, 17 year old trainee Frances Archer from Moseley said: “I’ve been doing the catering course since November last year, and it’s really good.

“I have grown up around food and wanted to learn more about healthy eating and nutrition.

“It’s a worthwhile course that I’d recommend to anybody.”