Mayor Richard Parker paid a visit to Villa Park to witness the delivery of the Aston Villa Foundation’s Catering Club programme.

The Catering Club initiative was established to address the local skills gap in the hospitality industry.

It consists of an eight-week course with two full days per week where participants receive theory classroom-based work in the morning and practical kitchen-based sessions in the afternoon, making use of the hospitality spaces at Villa Park.

The aim is to provide a platform for learners to gain valuable insight and experience needed for a career within the catering and hospitality industry.

Theory sessions focus on the fundamentals of running a catering business such as kitchen hygiene, health and safety and general employability skills, in addition to basic theories behind a range of cooking methods.

The participants are working towards completing the Level 2 in Hospitality and Catering and a range of NCASS awards such as the Level 2 Food Hygiene, LPG Gas Safety, Allergen Awareness and Health and Safety, to help build and develop transferrable skillsets.

Catering Club is now in its fourth year, with 66 participants having completed the course and gaining 183 qualifications in total.

The Department for Work and Pensions have been a key partner to the programme, supporting co-design with the Aston Villa Foundation who have led this initiative alongside other partners such as South and City College.  

At the same time as undertaking this work in partnership, DWP have positively promoted the programme region-wide to DWP customers to gain work ready skills and ultimately gain employment.

For further information about the Aston Villa Foundation visit their website or email foundation@avfc.co.uk.