Chef Apprentices from Westminster Kingsway College poach tips from top chef Marco Pierre White
01 March 2010
Two talented Chef Apprentices from Westminster Kingsway College met Marco Pierre White at the launch of a new advertising campaign for Apprenticeships. Rebecca Marshman and Connor Godfrey were among fifteen budding chefs who spent the morning in the kitchen at Wheelers learning how to prepare a range of dishes from the restaurant’s a la carte menu, with Marco Pierre White and his team.
An ex apprentice himself and the youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars, Marco Pierre White is a keen advocate of Apprenticeships and recommends aspiring chefs to seriously consider taking one. So much so, he is now starring in the new advertising campaign for Apprenticeships. "It was a pleasure to meet the fifteen apprentices," said Marco, who spent all morning with the apprentices. "In my opinion, an Apprenticeship is a passport to a future career. Apprenticeships are the future."
The viral campaign consists of three films showing how Marco’s life could have been without his Apprenticeship. The films feature him operating a burger van, a world away from the haute cuisine restaurants he usually inhabits. The films can be seen at: www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
For Rebecca Marshman the master class with Marco Pierre White was a day to remember. "I am never going to forget this experience," said Rebecca, who is doing her Apprenticeship with Westminster Kingsway College while working at Rules restaurant in Covent Garden. "Marco chatted to us all – he’s amazing! Doing this has enabled me to see how other people work, what other Apprenticeships are like and see what new skills I can learn. It’s also confirmed that I am absolutely doing the right thing for me."
Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service described Marco as a shining light in the Apprenticeship community, adding that "Marco’s success is proof of what Apprenticeships can do for young people. He is a great advocate for us and we are delighted he agreed to feature in our new campaign."
Apprenticeships in hospitality are on the rise with 17,000 starting last year. The National Apprenticeship Service has over 8,000 live vacancies on its online matching service and 5000 employers have just signed up take on an unemployed 16 or 17 year old as part of AGE (Apprenticeship Grants for Employers). Westminster Kingsway College offers Apprenticeship programmes for young people who aspire to be a chef or work in front of house hospitality.
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