Devonshire Hotel Group Hotel recruiting for training academy

Eight recruits took part in the initial Academy training, all new starters who had demonstrated a genuine interest in working in the hospitality sector and developing their professional skills. Two older candidates had left previous careers to go into hospitality; a re-think in the pandemic had led them to pursue their love of cooking and retrain to be chefs.

All eight recruits are enjoying the courses, which include social media training and a food photography session. Planned sessions include foraging on the estates and a Masterchef-style competition.

For the current Academy course, the Group aims to attract front of house personnel, including housekeeping, bar tenders, waiting staff and receptionists. The 18-month journey will culminate in a recognised industry qualification at Level Two and a job offer upon completion of their studies and on-the-job training. Further training and career development is encouraged.

The educational modules are varied, incorporating general hospitality skills and an insight into areas specific to The Devonshire Arms and its sister properties, such as a day with a gamekeeper on the estate.

As well as the Academy, the Devonshire Group plans to partner with schools. Chefs will work alongside primary and secondary school children on interactive projects, including cookery demonstrations with locally grown and farmed produce, try-at-home video recipes and, for older children, the opportunity to stage a drinks and canapés reception for parents and teachers.

Richard Palmer, Managing Director of The Devonshire Group, says the aim is to inspire students from a young age, to attract new people to the hospitality industry.

“The last couple of years has certainly been a challenging time for our industry, yet I do believe that in leaning into the face of adversity, we are emerging in far better shape,” says Richard. “Gone are the disreputable aspects of a hospitality career path, say, the long hours, time sacrificed that could have been spent with family and so on. We are invoking the passion for our industry - the variety, the creativity, the interaction with people, communication skills, the sustainability and being part of community - all of these are the good things, which the pandemic has ironically made us value even more so. “Our focus now is on how we can improve the guest experience ultimately, and we know that having a happy, well-balanced, motivated team, fully supports our business and in turn, our community.

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting our new starters and interacting with them. I find myself learning from them too, as they enter the business with fresh eyes and eager minds - everyone is benefitting from the ripple effect. Alongside our Academy starters, we have recruits from a variety of schemes such as the Government’s Kickstart programme, aimed at the 16-24 age group, and we have two supported internships, part of a separate project with Craven College.

“I firmly believe that this grassroots approach is the way forward, as opposed to the traditional college learning programmes. It’s more dynamic and inspiring to have this applied learning, giving teams more tangible goals to work towards. It offers an insight early on of the huge diversity of roles on offer, and the job satisfaction to be had from working their way up in our industry.”

Adds Richard: “I relate to this with personal experience, having started out as a bar attendant at The Devonshire Brasserie. By 21, I was managing a £1m turnover business and 25 staff, and by my mid 30s I became the Group’s MD. There is a wealth of opportunities for people from all walks of life, who are ready to apply themselves, learn and develop. We offer training right through to MBA level.”

Hospitality students recently took over running the Devonshire Fell Hotel in Burnsall for 48 hours in a ‘live’ work experience project. Offering ‘on the job’ insight into hospitality and bringing their catering studies into practice, the students, from Cheshire College South and West, worked in all aspects of hotel service, including reception, preparing and serving dishes, room service and housekeeping, overseen by management.

One of the hospitality students at work at the Devonshire Fell (Image: Submitted)

John Holden, Food and Beverage Lecturer at Cheshire Catering College, South and West, said: “This has been an incredible opportunity for them to gain a valuable insight into their chosen vocations.”

Adds Richard: “Their planning and creativity in advance was one thing, but to deliver at such a consistently high standard for the full two days to expectant guests can be quite another. John and I are delighted with how well everyone performed. I would certainly welcome any of their CVs in the future.”

* Visit devonshirehotels.co.uk/academy