Brewer at St Austell Brewery

Category: HIT Brewer Apprentice of the Year

“Learning how to develop a recipe design as part of my apprenticeship has been incredible as it allowed me to be creative and earn recognition too. My beer design ended up in Wetherspoons!”

Why an apprenticeship?

When I joined St Austell Brewery, I had a chemical engineering degree and no prior experience of the brewing industry but I knew I loved the brewery’s products – and Cornwall too. The opportunity to do an apprenticeship was really exciting and I saw it as two ways of learning. One was the very hands-on experience that came with the brewery’s training, and this helped me understand the kit I was using which is very specific to St Austell. The other was the in-depth knowledge behind brewing that I experienced through HIT’s partnership with Nottingham University. The university trips and lectures taught me the theory behind brewing processes and really advanced my knowledge.

Benefitting my business

As a brewer, I work in one of three areas: brewhouse, fermentation and processing. Throughout these areas, I ensure that beer of the highest quality is being brewed, correct processes are followed and the workspace is kept clean and tidy. The apprenticeship has given me greater knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes of a production area, and this includes regulations and safety concerns. I have also developed my abilities to share and receive knowledge and how to adapt that to my workplace. All these new skills have meant I have been able to help train new staff members and participate in problem solving due to my in-depth background knowledge.

Learning how to develop a recipe design as part of my apprenticeship has been incredible as it allows me some creativity within the industry and recognition too. This is how my beer design ended up in Wetherspoons! Our Brewing Director, who coordinates with our National Sales Managers, often receives requests for beers to go into the pub chains so we submit several beer styles and ideas with costings. I like to create beers that are economically attractive and able to be scaled up, so I was thrilled when my beer recipe ‘Average Joe!’ was selected to feature as one of 30 real ales in Wetherspoon’s 12-day autumn ale festival. The beer, a sweet, amber ale, featured as part of St Austell’s Cask Club series, and was then supplied to 480 Wetherspoon pubs.

It really was a career highlight to receive such positive feedback. I was also interviewed about my beer on ITV and BBC Radio Cornwall.

The experience has inspired me to carry on progressing within the company, either taking on more leadership and responsibility or by continuing to produce beers and recipes that are well received and enjoyed by many.

The HIT Training difference

HIT’s apprenticeship training has been invaluable in consolidating my knowledge and learning how to present my learning in a usable format. My HIT trainer was always happy to help me whenever I found anything tricky to understand and to overcome any barriers to my learning. My employer has also been very supportive, ensuring that I have practical experience relating to each module and providing site visits to other breweries to gain different experiences within the industry. As well as allowing me to brew my own recipe, St Austell has also helped me promote apprenticeships to the next generation.

Commis Chef at Sodexo

Category: HIT Chef Apprentice of the Year

“The training and learning opportunities I have received from HIT have been life changing.”

Why an apprenticeship?

I’ve always loved cooking and it’s been my biggest passion for as long as I can remember. Food and making people happy is in my DNA. When I came to the end of secondary school, I knew a classroom setting wasn’t for me and I started looking for other options. I attended an open day run by Sodexo that reached out to schools in areas of social deprivation and that’s where I learned about the Raymond Blanc academy programme. I fell in love with Sodexo as a company and joined as a Level 2 Commis Chef apprentice. I’ve never looked back. I like to think of myself as having a ‘can do’ attitude and I love getting stuck in and making sure I’m a valued member of any kitchen team. I have so far worked my way around the Sodexo Live! sites in London including The Royal Academy of Art, Bateaux, The Wallace Collection and RAF Hendon.

Benefitting my business

I love nothing more than talking about my apprenticeship journey and what I have achieved with Sodexo and HIT Training. I’ve even visited my former school to tell students about the experience and how apprenticeships skill up young people for the future.

As part of the Raymond Blanc academy, I’m keen to be a role model for young people and show how rigour and discipline leads to great things. I’m proud to say my stagiaire at Le Manoir restaurant resulted in the team offering me a future role in their brigade after I worked there as part of my apprenticeship. I enjoyed building a relationship with the senior team there and featured on Le Manoir’s Instagram aged just 17.

Sodexo’s mantra is ‘Be part of something greater’ and I love travelling around the UK sharing my apprenticeship story and passion for the hospitality industry. I’ve attended the ‘Stop Hunger Foundation Charity Dinner' at Headingley Stadium raising over £144,000 for our charity partners and I’ve joined Sodexo’s leadership team hosting a fringe event at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. There, I talked about how much I’d developed during my apprenticeship and showed a ‘before and after’ finished dish from my first to last masterclass. The difference is amazing and shows how much progress I’ve made. I also formed part of the brigade at Royal Ascot, a premier event for Sodexo and our clients at Ascot Racecourse. The kitchens are high pressured, with chefs working long days at a very fast pace. I worked hard to deliver the quality expected from such a prestigious event.

When I first started my apprenticeship, I was shadowing chefs and following pre-made prep lists. Now, I am responsible for sections, meaning I ensure products are labelled, the section is clean and organised and we are always ready for service. I create my own prep list and communicate with other chefs who take over my section in my absence. I also assist others when I am free and frequently run services under the supervision of the head chef to help me develop even more skills. Since developing these skills, my confidence has skyrocketed! I have been thrown in the deep end a few times leading services and tasks which is an incredible accomplishment from where I started. My confidence has soared and I am always ready to try new things. When I injured my ankle, even though I was ready to give up, everyone supported me to get back on my feet and keep chasing my dreams!

Aside from my cooking skills, I’ve learned how important it is to be on time, how every second counts and how teamwork is crucial. Everything I do has an effect on the rest of my team, so I always remain considerate. Being the youngest in the team can be challenging, but I have learned that all the respect I give reflects on how much respect the team shows me.

The HIT Training difference

When I look back, if school hadn’t allowed me to go to the Sodexo open day, I would not be where I am today. The training and learning opportunities I have received from HIT have been life changing, not only in terms of skills but also the chance to travel and learn everyday life skills as I move into adulthood.

As well as being shown how a kitchen operates, I’ve been able to develop my Food Safety and Health and Safety knowledge and learn the theory behind best practice. As much as I love cooking, I struggle with written work as I find it hard to get my thoughts onto paper. To help me with this, my HIT Training tutor made a lot of my work verbal, and we did recordings which helped me. Whenever I was stuck, she was always on hand with advice.

I would like to progress onto a Level 3 apprenticeship and then move into event catering. The apprenticeship has opened my eyes to wonderful opportunities and I want to travel the world, experience venues in different cities and pass on my knowledge to a new generation of chefs after me. My next career goal is to be one of the youngest head chefs in London and build a reputation in the industry.

Commercial Coach at Nike

Category: HIT Retail Apprentice of the Year

“The apprenticeship has led to greater trust and respect among the Athletes who regard me as a leader.”

Why an apprenticeship?

I have been with Nike for seven years now, starting as an eight-hour Athlete (Sales Advisor) whilst studying Sports Therapy at university. After five years, I progressed to management level as a Lead (Supervisor). As a Lead for two years, I covered all three departments in-store (commercial, service and operations) and after achieving an end of year review rating of ‘highly successful’, I felt ready to take on a new challenge. I was offered the opportunity to do an apprenticeship and two months later, I took on the role of Coach (Department Manager) as a maternity leave cover. Being enrolled onto the Level 3 Retail Team Leader apprenticeship has really supported my progression as I am learning and developing new skills relevant to my new job role. The apprenticeship has been a huge confidence boost leading to my mid-year review as a Coach being rated as successful/borderline highly successful.

Benefitting my business

Within the workplace, I am a much more confident leader when performing the team captain role on the shop floor. I have learned strategies on how to have courageous conversations with both consumers and the Athletes when there is a difficult situation to discuss. This has had a positive impact on the store in that I am able to support the management team, and this frees up time for other managers to focus on their responsibilities and tasks. The apprenticeship has also led to greater trust and respect among the Athletes as their Coach.

As part of my apprenticeship project, I will be implementing a focus on ‘HER’ in-store which looks at training in how to serve women and the products we have available in-store and online specific to ‘HER’. Another idea that I have initiated is following up with 30-hour Athletes on their Individual Development Plans every three months to ensure we are getting the most potential out of these conversations. The aim is for this strategy to be filtered down to other team member contracts we have.

The HIT Training difference

My apprenticeship journey with HIT Training has been great and I’ve been able to email my HIT Vocational Trainer at any point during the working week to get support when needed. I’ve had regular one-to-one meetings every month to discuss work completed, discuss next steps, and go through mock scenarios to prepare myself for the end-point assessment stages. My trainer has also visited me in-store to complete 12-week reviews with both myself and the Head Coach (Store Manager). I have gained knowledge around Legal and Governance, which has supported my ability to deal with difficult customer situations around defective products or consumer rights for example. I have also learned about team leadership, team motivation, inspiration and dealing with challenges the team may be facing to complete their tasks. Within the next two years, I would like to be a permanent Coach with Nike and explore the possibility of progressing to the next stage of management as Assist Head Coach (Assist Store Manager).

Trainee Assistant Manager at Oakman Inns

Category: HIT Hospitality Apprentice of the Year

“Thanks to my apprenticeship, I understand how my behaviour has a positive impact on the guest experience which then leads to repeat custom.”

Why an apprenticeship?

When I started work in housekeeping, I was keen to try out different parts of the business. I discovered I loved the restaurant side of Oakman Inns and, as I’ve always loved people, I mentioned moving into this area and learning more about the management side. That was when the head of training suggested that I start a Level 3 Hospitality Supervisor apprenticeship.

I really enjoyed the practical aspect of my apprenticeship with training completed both on site and via Zoom. I met so many different people this way and learned about different roles within the industry. It was encouraged to ask questions of senior management about why we do things a certain way to embed my learning and initiate new ideas for the business. By completing a lot of my learning within the work environment, I was also able to share some of my knowledge with team members and help champion a learning environment.

Benefitting my business

I was promoted from front-of-house to trainee assistant manager leading to more responsibility such as operation site checks, and planning and organising special events. I also requested to run the Christmas Day shift which involved taking bookings for both the hotel and restaurant, deposits, pre-orders, cover times and service cycle for the day. I also managed a waiting list and ensured details for all diners and residents were correct. This required communicating with the kitchen team over pre-orders and expectations for how the day will run. This wouldn’t normally be expected from a front-of-house team member but I wanted to show I had the capacity and the organisational skills to plan the day.

I introduced a mini dessert platter special which formed part of my business project plan as part of the apprenticeship. Looking at the KPIs for the business, I highlighted desserts and coffees were an area for improvement to increase dwell time, guest experience and revenue. I discussed ideas for dishes with the head chef in weekly management meetings and now the dessert platter is part of our offer.

I also requested a week’s secondment at The Woburn, a site four times bigger than my current place of work. The idea of the move was to understand the workings and organisational structure of a bigger team, and how to communicate across a site with 68 residents rather than 18 maximum at The Alma Inn. This was a great opportunity to learn from others who are more experienced and have different backgrounds and cultures.

The HIT Training difference

My HIT Vocational Trainer Michelle Proctor was amazing and very passionate about supporting my dyslexia. She was always there to support me on Zoom and in person. The apprenticeship has given me so much confidence as I work towards becoming an assistant manager one day and training other team members. From the start, I was encouraged to learn about all areas of the business from kitchen porter to housekeeper to improve ways of working, understand the frustrations of team members, and act as a stage for leadership, willing to work in any position and understand the workings of the business. This awareness has helped me gain the respect of my team. While I’ve always enjoyed being customer-focused, my leadership skills were boosted through the apprenticeship. I regularly receive good feedback from customers and thanks to my apprenticeship, I understand how my behaviour has a positive impact on the guest experience which then leads to repeat custom.

Floor Manager at Rhubarb Hospitality Collection

Category: HIT Leadership Apprentice of the Year

“My HIT Training tutor helped me throughout the whole programme and every time I didn’t understand something, he was always ready to explain it to me.”

Why an apprenticeship?

When Rhubarb Hospitality Collection offered me the chance to do a Level 3 Team Leader apprenticeship, I jumped at the opportunity. I love working in hospitality and doing an apprenticeship seemed a great way of improving my managerial skills and progressing my career in the industry. The programme included knowledge sessions on everything from economics to maths and English, and I also enjoyed the practical learnings such as how to do briefings, write a food description and latest regulations about allergens to be in line with the law.

Benefitting my business

Thanks to the apprenticeship, I’ve been promoted from supervisor to floor manager at Fenchurch restaurant in Sky Garden and I’m using the new skills I’ve acquired through training. I’ve learned how to adapt different management styles depending on the situation, and I’m more empathetic thanks to a better understanding of emotional intelligence.

I’ve also introduced some new fresh ideas to make the work environment more fun. As part of my staff engagement project, I now highlight certain team members who have excelled each month, ensuring a diverse selection of champions to showcase people's various strengths and achievements. This initiative was positively received by both team members and senior management at Rhubarb and has helped impact the outstanding performance of the team.

I’ve also taken ownership of a new area of work in health and safety, learning about the various risks of working in a restaurant so that I can deliver task risk assessments for new members of the team. Accuracy, care and compliance is key in this area, and I’ve learned about the role our compliance consultants play in the business alongside the use of Rhubarb’s Learning Management System to accurately log training records ready for inspection should an environmental health officer require this.

The role of allergen champion within the restaurant has also been given to me and with the help of my assistant restaurant manager, I’ve learned the various processes we use at Rhubarb to ensure strict allergen care. I ensure all specials have been allergen checked with the chef and communicated with the team and make sure that the allergen sheets are updated whenever needed.

I organise briefing sheets and staff allocation based on the service flow, peak trade times and staff strengths. I’ve learned that finely tuned planning makes for a smooth service with happy guests and a team who are satisfied in their work without being overstretched. I am always thrilled when the senior leadership team request me by name - including Rhubarb’s CEO and our chair - who have asked me to be on duty when entertaining important trustees for our business.

Finally, I also passed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 qualification with merit and got the highest score in my cohort.

The HIT Training difference

My HIT Training tutor helped me throughout the whole programme and any time I didn’t understand something, he was always ready to explain it to me. I was really pleased to pass my Level 2 Functional Skills qualification in maths and English and I regard this a big career achievement. For me, the most useful things I learned about becoming a good leader were emotional intelligence and different management styles. This is an area I would love to focus on and one day progress into a senior management role.

"As a small business, we were attracted to HIT’s unique brewer apprenticeship as it is an industry standard and a nationally recognised qualification."

Category: HIT Small to Medium Employer of the Year

Three Blind Mice Brewery was founded in 2013 and is a small business based in Little Downham, Cambridgeshire. It produces a range of modern beers using the best quality ingredients available and sets out to foster new talent within the brewing industry.

As a small, local brewery with five employees, they saw the immediate benefits of embracing an apprenticeship strategy and signed up their first apprentice on HIT Training’s unique Level 4 Brewer Apprenticeship in April 2023 as the business was expanding and they needed a brewing assistant.

Three Blind Mice is committed to providing exceptional development opportunities for all employees. By covering travel and hotel expenses related to the HIT apprentice programme, the brewery eliminates barriers to learning and ensures that apprentices can focus on their education and professional growth.

Furthermore, through active support on social media, the brewery takes pride in showcasing its achievements which in turn boosts morale and highlights the brewery's dedication to its people. The brewery was thrilled when its apprentice Aureja Jupp entered HIT’s Untapped brewing competition and won the title ‘HIT Brewer Apprentice of the Year 2023’ beating off stiff competition from other national brewers.

Three Blind Mice is proactive in its approach to the HIT brewer programme with the head brewer joining calls and closely following the apprentice's progress, demonstrating a commitment to mentoring new talent. The business has shown a willingness to provide time for learning and studying, as well as encouraging exploration of new ideas within the brewery, ensuring the apprenticeship programme is fit for purpose and aligned with the needs of the industry.

Director Alex Bragg said: “We have seen many positive results because of the apprenticeship training with Aureja feeling part of the team and able to ease the workload in the brewery so that we can put more effort into other areas of the business.

“Playing our part in building a future-proof skilled brewing workforce is important to us and we have found HIT to be a very easy partner to work with. As a small business, we were also attracted to HIT’s unique brewer apprenticeship as it is an industry standard and a nationally recognised qualification.”

As part of its commitment to apprenticeships, the head brewer at Three Blind Mice provides on-the-job support and often acts as mentor, allowing apprentices to learn from an experienced professional. The aim is to foster a deep understanding of brewing techniques and industry insights.

The brewery actively supports its apprentices by providing them with the time and space to learn and experiment on the job, exploring new ideas within the brewery. This contributes to a dynamic learning environment.

By covering travel and hotel expenses related to the HIT apprenticeship, this financial support ensures that apprentices can participate in educational opportunities, workshops and industry events that enhance their skills and knowledge.

Three Blind Mice actively participates in events such as beer festivals, tap takeovers and brewery collaborations. By attending these events, the brewery not only promotes its own apprenticeship opportunities but also contributes to the growth of the wider industry. It also uses social media to share its apprentices' achievements, highlight their journey, and promote the value of apprenticeships in the hospitality sector. This not only serves as an inspiration but also spreads awareness within the wider community.

“Supporting the development of skilled professionals in the industry is something we are passionate about and if we need more brewing staff in the future, we will look at taking on more apprentices,” said Alex. “I did an engineering apprenticeship myself when I was 17 and I’ve always liked the apprenticeship model. It’s great to be able to give others like Aureja the same opportunity.

“In the meantime, we remain committed to community outreach, engagement with schools, participation in industry events and open-house events that contributes to apprenticeship growth not only within the brewery but also within the wider hospitality sector.”

"St Austell Brewery’s robust outreach strategy encourages future generations to take up apprenticeship opportunities within hospitality."

Category: HIT Best Community Outreach Employer of the Year

St Austell Brewery is a 172-year-old brewer, wholesaler and licensed retailer and one of the largest hospitality employers in the Southwest with 1800 plus employees. Their vertically integrated operation offers an unmatched range of apprenticeship career development opportunities with apprenticeship training becoming a central part of their people strategy throughout 2022 and 2023.

In the past 12 months, 30 people have completed their training and they have 90 apprentices on various courses throughout the business – which is 5% of their total headcount. HIT delivers the Level 4 Brewing Apprenticeship programme and the Level 2 Hospitality Team Member programme.

Apprenticeships are explored as a first choice for any colleague receiving training within the company and all new vacancies are assessed for suitability as an apprenticeship before being advertised. Their ambition is to become an apprentice employer of choice within the brewing industry and region.

Early Careers Manager Jon Kelley said: “Since we began our apprenticeship journey back in 2016, we have found apprenticeships to be a great way of investing in our future talent. They help us ensure our colleagues have the complete range of skills they need to do their job to the best of their ability and are a key part of our succession planning processes.

“We're particularly proud of our relationship with HIT who we have partnered with since 2016. Their recruitment function is very effective and the training support they provide is always expertly delivered and efficient. HIT employs experts in their field to deliver their training programmes and it is always clear that the vocational trainers really care about the needs of their apprentices, as they all place candidate progression at the centre of everything they do.”

St Austell Brewery turned to apprenticeships after finding many skilled people within their brewing team were nearing retirement. In danger of losing valuable knowledge together with a continuing pathway of growth within the business, they were faced with the challenge of finding the additional head count and expertise they needed to keep ahead of demand.

“Our apprenticeship programmes have not only helped us stabilise our recruitment efforts through reducing our employee turnover and improving staff retention, but they have also had a positive impact on our employer brand image while increasing internal engagement and improving productivity.

“Our outreach strategy has become increasingly important too. In 2023, we identified and formed working relationships with 10 schools across Cornwall and Devon, who are currently providing some form of hospitality/catering training provision for their pupils. These schools are now the focus of our outreach efforts.

“During 2023, we facilitated meaningful interactions with a total of 1200 year 10 and year 11 pupils with some of these pupils visiting us at the brewery, and some receiving career development advice as part of their Gatsby benchmarking requirements. In February, we held our first annual 'Careers Open Day at the Brewery', where we reached out to five different schools and invited them to send 100 year 9 pupils to join us at the brewery for our own careers fair.

“We took over the whole of our visitor centre to stage the event, where 16 departments each had a stall to represent the kinds of careers we can offer across our business. Stalls included Hospitality, Brewing, Sales, Marketing, Information Technology, Logistics and People. Proudly, every single stall was manned by at least one apprentice from that department. Some 500 pupils joined us throughout the day and the feedback was so excellent that we are making it an annual event.

“In Sept 2023 we inducted our first cohort of pupils at our 'Under 16’s Hospitality Academy'. We believe we are the first company in our sector to fund such a programme, at least in the Southwest – if not the entire UK. We're covering all costs for a local college to work with schools across Cornwall, offering pupils the chance to take part in a unique GCSE level Hospitality and Catering course. The idea is that participants will leave school with some valuable basic skills and unique experiences that will give them a head start if they decide to join us as a front of house or kitchen apprentice at one of our sites. We hope that this initiative will grow in popularity and inspire future generations to take up apprenticeship opportunities within hospitality.”

"Apprenticeships have helped our managers become better leaders and helped us to foster a learning-centred approach across the business."

Category: HIT Large Employer of the Year

JKS Restaurants was founded by siblings Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi in November 2008. The group has 1000 employees and has received critical acclaim and industry recognition since its inception, including 6 Michelin stars, 4 Michelin Bib Gourmands, and one restaurant ranked in the World’s 100 Best Restaurants.

Launching a JKS Apprenticeship Academy was always a dream for JKS, but the need became critical in 2022 when their talent pool began to dramatically reduce due to the pandemic and Brexit.

Apprenticeship & Attraction Officer Lauren Polson said: “We realised that we’d need to start growing our talent, so we started to bring apprentices into our business. We teamed up with HIT Training because they were one of the largest providers, and once we started to discuss how we wanted our programme to work, they were accommodating and happy fitting into our apprenticeship model and adapting to our needs.

“We’re delighted to currently have eight apprentices on Level 2 Commis Chef or Hospitality Team Member programmes and four that have completed with three distinctions and a pass. Since our apprentices started with us, they have gone from strength to strength – most were unable to use a knife correctly and now have learned and put into practice breaking down poultry and game. Most of our apprentices now work as part of the service and even run their sections.

“We had one apprentice from our first cohort go on to take second place in HIT’s Fired Up Chef Competition, which was amazing for us and we were incredibly proud of the apprentice as he’d only been professionally cooking for one year.”

The apprenticeship programme at JKS is robust with learners spending a total of 12 months placed at six different restaurants within the group, two months at each.

“We aim to give apprentices an insight into what the industry has to offer and where their passion lies, whether it's the fast-paced environment of Taiwanese cuisine at BAO or the intricacies of crafting a 15-course tasting menu for a Michelin-starred restaurant like Kitchen Table,” said Lauren. “Apprentices have access to our discovery series, a chance for them to immerse themselves in the culture of JKS through interactive chef demonstrations, cocktail masterclass, yoga for wellbeing, and much more.

“Our apprentices also have access to THRIVE, our learning management system, which helps us support our employees with their mental health and wellbeing, as well as their personal and professional growth. The content on the platform is regularly updated to meet our apprentices’ needs and any gaps in their knowledge.

“We believe it’s important that our apprentices are aware of the current issues that face the industry such as sustainability, with the hope that they’ll carry what they have learned through their careers. With the help of our sustainability manager, we developed interactive off-the-training, which ended with us spending the day at ‘WE ARE GROW’, an agroecological farm in the heart of London. We have also taken our apprentices to visit several suppliers, who shared their struggles with procurement and how professionals can work with suppliers to ensure they are getting the best products.”

JKS has seen other benefits to the by partnering with HIT.

“The training programmes have helped our managers become better leaders, helped us to foster a learning-centred approach across the business, and assisted us in refreshing our approach to recruitment and learning and development to meet the needs of post-COVID employees. HIT has accommodated our aims for the programme and supports and pushes our learners to achieve the best, while also exhibiting excellent communication.

“Our apprentices have helped to boost morale within our sites and given support to our restaurant during extremely busy periods as well as providing the business with an insight on how we can adapt to meet the needs of the current/upcoming workforce.

“In the future, we hope to roll our apprenticeship across all levels, as well as our head office teams! We have plans to further extend our reach to apprentices by offering work placements and attending career talks at junior schools. We also want to empower our managers by offering them leadership and operations managers apprenticeships.”