A hotel in Limerick city was presented with a prestigious European award in recognition of the work it does in training apprentice chefs.
Chef apprenticeship honoured at the European Vocational Education & Training Awards THE four star Limerick Strand Hotel beat employers from across Europe to win the Small to Medium Size Enterprise (SME) Award at the VET Excellence Awards in Helsinki, Finland, on 17th October. The Awards, which were held as part of European Vocational Skills Week, highlight best practice and recognise excellence in Vocational Education and Training (VET) throughout Europe. The Limerick Strand Hotel was presented with the SME Award in recognition of its commitment to the on-going training and development of its staff. National Commis Chef Apprenticeship The hotel was one of the first employers to engage with the National Commis Chef Apprenticeship, a new two-year programme delivered through a number of Education and Training Boards across Ireland. The two-year apprenticeship consists of a combination of day release and on-the-job training enabling chefs who are either embarking on a career or already working in professional kitchens to gain a QQI Level 6 qualification while earning a full-time salary. The Limerick Strand Hotel is currently training two apprentice commis chefs who will be among the 72 Education
first graduates of the programme when they qualify this December. The apprentices combine two days’ study (one day in the busy summer period) in Limerick & Clare Education and Training Board’s Hospitality Education and Training Centre with three days working and training in the hotel per week. A practical approach The Limerick Strand Hotel Executive Chef Tom Flavin, an industry veteran who has worked in the kitchens of some of the finest hotels around the world, believes the apprenticeship is a great opportunity for school leavers who wish to become chefs, or for chefs already working in the industry who wish to improve their skills and gain qualifications. “A number of the chefs that have risen up the ranks in our kitchen over the years have undertaken many different courses but what stands out most about this one is that you can earn while you’re learning," he says. "It is a very hands-on programme, e n a b l i n g c h e f s t o g e t a m o re rounded education while practicing and improving skills on-the-job. It’s a good option for young people who want to start earning as soon as they leave school and for those who thrive on a more practical approach to learning.”
"If you undertake a full-time course you won’t gain the same experience and you won’t have the same exposure to professional kitchens"
Tom travelled to Helsinki to represent the Limerick Strand Hotel at the VET Excellence Awards and was joined by José Mata, one of the apprentices soon to complete the Commis Chef Apprenticeship at the Limerick & Clare ETB Hospitality Education and Training Centre. José highly recommends the apprenticeship programme: “The course is brilliant because you can combine college with working in the industry so you get the best of both worlds. If you undertake a full-time course you won’t gain the same experience and you won’t have the same exposure to professional kitchens.” It is important, José says, to seek an employer who is committed to investing in your professional development while you undertake the apprenticeship. “Not only will a good employer pay you a full-time salary, they will also support you with further training at work. Tom is great at training chefs and getting the best out of us. "For instance, he paid for me to spend a day learning how to fillet fish with our fishmonger then encouraged me to enter the Chef Ireland competitions at CATEX where I won a gold medal in the fish competition. I wouldn’t have achieved this if it weren’t for Tom’s