In February we joined forces with Angus Council to let young people “Taste the Industry”.
Hilary Tasker (Economic Development) and Claire Gammie (DYWDA) worked together to give the young people in Angus an insight into careers in hospitality and food & drink. The one day event took place at Brechin Community Campus and over 75 S3 pupils from across the Angus schools come together to be inspired by professionals who work in different aspects of hospitality. The pupils took part in hands-on activities which gave them insights into careers such as chef, events management, silver service, mobile catering, chocolate making and even created their own mocktails.
The Dundee and Angus areas are a burgeoning hub of hospitality opportunities and this day was designed to cover a wide range of careers, which many young people may not be aware of. The pupils discovered that this is a dynamic industry which offers a myriad of satisfying career choices and can take you in many diverse directions. The day was designed to show the young people what is available to them, and give them ideas about what they might want to do in the future as well as outlining career pathways. Getting people from within the industry to set practical tasks for the pupils gave them a real hands-on experience which from the comments we received really seemed to inspire them.
Cllr Ron Sturrock, Angus Council’s spokesperson for Economic Development said, “Food & drink, and tourism are important sectors for us here in Angus, and it is vital that we nurture our young people and encourage them to get involved in these growing industries. This day is an excellent way for them to get first-hand guidance from industry experts and give them ideas as to what the future might hold for them, whether it be working front of house, developing their culinary talents in the kitchen, or being an entrepreneur making their own gin!”
The day started with an inspirational talk then then the participants were split into groups and made their way around the following stations:
Professional Cookery – Introduction to the uses of the tortilla El Tajin
Professional Cookery – Muscles in Wine and Cream Sauce Sinclair’s Kitchen
Professional Cookery – Working with Chocolate Dundee & Angus College
Silver Service Royal Air Force
Mocktails Bespoke Bar Company
Outside and Event Catering Wild & Smoky
Event Planning Red Pepper Events
Careers Springboard
The pupils commented that they found it really useful to engage with experienced professionals from the industry and enjoyed having practical hands on activities and feedback shows that now more than 70% of pupils who attended will now consider a career in the hospitality industry.
Many thanks to all of the companies who gave up their time to help us run this day and thank you to all staff and pupils who came and made the day such a success.