We’ve all heard of work experience and apprenticeships.

But where do traineeships fit in with these employment-focused schemes?

Basically, a traineeship is a training programme that features work experience and often acts as a stepping stone to an apprenticeship. Trainees often require English and maths qualifications, relevant training, or the experience required to gain their dream apprenticeship. A traineeship bridges the gap and is a great CV builder.

Traineeships are for 16 to 24-year-olds and are a fantastic way for young, motivated individuals to show employers that they are an ideal candidate.

We have seen many students progress rapidly from traineeships to apprenticeships with big firms such as GKN and Rolls Royce. This wouldn’t have been possible if they hadn’t completed their traineeship first.

Businesses can also reap a number of benefits from offering traineeships. Here are six:

• Traineeships allow you to select the best apprenticeship candidates for your business

• Trainees often become loyal employees

• Traineeships are fully funded by the government

• It is a cost effective method of recruiting new talent

• You can train a learner with the specific skills that your company is looking for

• Your current employees can gain experience managing trainees.

We often find that once a trainee has completed their programme, they are offered an apprenticeship by the same organisation. This shows the importance of taking a chance on someone whose CV doesn’t necessarily stand out.

Recruiting someone with the right attitude and motivation can be hard, but by offering a traineeship you can find the right character for your company.

You can find out more about traineeships, by clicking here. 

Andy wanted to be a chef from a very young age.

His parents couldn’t keep him out of the kitchen, especially when it came to occasions like dinner parties. Andy loved experimenting in the kitchen and his brother would often play ‘guinea pig’ by trying his creations!

Andy trained at Weston College from 1988 to 1990. Once qualified, he took his first job in a little two-rosette French restaurant in the Bristol area.

After two years of intense training and hard work, he took his first large hotel job at Bristol Marriott Royal. He saw this as an opportunity to develop skills in other areas, such as large banqueting and busy bistro style food, as well as dipping in and out of the fine dining restaurant.

After three years and two promotions, he moved on to moat house hotels, working at the Crowne Plaza and The Billesley Manor Hotel - a two-rosette property.

Andy’s first head chef job was with Novotel Bristol. After just three years, he became the company’s development chef for the UK!

Andy has enjoyed many travel opportunities – working in countries such as Morocco, Philippines and Thailand for the Sofitel Hotels and Resorts five-star brand. He loved every minute of working abroad, seeing different cultures and learning all about new flavours and cooking methods.

Andy worked as executive chef for Novotel UK for 12 years before leaving to work in a similar capacity within the Devere Hotel Group.

Andy is now heading up the team at Backwell house and loves the luxury boutique hotel environment.

He uses his wealth of industry experience to mentor the next generation with his masterclasses at Weston College.

See what course we offer here or contact us on 01934 411 411.

Weston College will provide education in 19 prisons across England after successfully bidding for three major contracts.

Since 2012, the College has operated in nine prisons across the South West.

Following a revamp of the procurement process, it retained contracts for the South West, and was also selected as the provider for the South East region. The three contracts, worth £15.7 million per year, cover Avon and South Dorset, Devon and North Dorset and Kent, Surrey and Sussex. They begin on April 1. The Weston College brand will now appear in the educational facilities in all 19 prisons.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “It speaks volumes for the results we achieved under the previous system, that we have been selected to deliver education in an additional ten prisons.

“Our dedicated team of staff work tirelessly to change the lives of the prison learners, and improve their prospects of employment on release.

“This is a major endorsement from the Ministry of Justice of those efforts, and we’re extremely proud to be one of just four national providers of prison education across England.

“That said, delivering education in prison is always challenging and we’ll continue to work with prison governors, staff, partners and employers to ensure the quality of our provision remains as high as possible.”

The new Prison Education Framework (PEF), which replaces the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS), will provide a core curriculum of education in each prison. The providers – including Weston College – will deliver the curriculum in the prisons.

The reforms are designed to enable providers to be more flexible and creative in giving individuals the skills they need to unlock their potential, gain employment and become assets to their communities.

Weston College delivers a wide range of courses in the prison, including catering, English, maths, customer service, art, carpentry, plastering and bricklaying.

College lecturers recently held a series of successful MasterChef-style competitions in prisons across the south west. Prison learners were taught a range of catering skills before putting them to the test and cooking a meal of their own. Prison governors then chose the winner after sampling the dishes.