PET-Xi Training - 100 NEETS to be offered the chance of a lifetime

100 NEETS to be offered the chance of a lifetime PET-Xi Restaurants are set to launch a brand-new restaurant “Metropolis” in the heart of the city which has life change at its core, with everybody throughout the whole organisation committed to life change and second chances. It will be bringing a glamorous Art Deco theme and a UK first with its exciting inclusive menu which is based on feel good food ready for the launch on June 17th.

It is part of the commitment to bring people and life back to the city post COVID and is based on the 2021 City of Culture Coventry Moves initiative, focusing on the journeys which begin in Coventry.

We will see 100 young people begin their journeys and turn their lives around in this venue this year alone and move from NEET into training and employment in the hospitality industry. We are currently ­recruiting for the first cohort who will begin in June.

At Metropolis, Head Chef Sean is very ­experienced in training and working with young people and is looking forward to being a mentor passing on his experience with young people as he has benefitted from a similar journey himself. He is joining a very experienced management team comprising Fleur Sexton and Dave Lewis of UK leading training company PET-Xi and are very excited about this opportunity to help young people at the same time helping to build back an industry which has been significantly damaged by COVID. Metropolis provides a life-affirming opportunity for unqualified young NEETS (Not in Education, ­employment, or Training) to gain qualifications, experience and turn their lives around.

For City of Culture 2021, we will be providing 100 young people with this life changing experience to gain skills in all the aspects of restaurant work, including chef training, sous chef training, kitchen porter, ­waiting, customer service, bar work and marketing. They will each be given a Traineeship p ­ lacement which will also include general employability and work prep, Maths and English Functional Skills, Customer Service and Food Hygiene level 2 qualification. There will be the opportunity for those who really show potential to take part in a Level 3 or 4 Leadership and Management qualification. On ­completion of their traineeship, each young person will graduate onto a Kick Start placements for 6 months and which includes 25-hour salary paid per week. Stage 3 will be progression will then be onto an apprenticeship within Hospitality and Catering or Customer Services level 3 or 4.

Graduation at the end of the year will be a very exciting event for all the students and will be at the ­restaurant with key city figures joining with the students, staff, and their families to celebrate the journey the young people have made to change their lives.

In terms of social impact value this represents over £100,000,000 worth of social impact in the city.

(Each NEET over their lifetime costs £104,000 in opportunity costs including loss of income to the ­economy and individuals).