<p>My name is Jason, and I am the General Manager at the Club and Spa Cadbury House. <a href="https://www.cadburyhotelbristol.co.uk/">DoubleTree by Hilton Cadbury House</a> is the South West’s finest four-star boutique hotel and spa, and provides event spaces for weddings, private parties, business events, spa breaks or dining experiences. My role at the business is to oversee the day-to-day running of the Health Club and Spa.</p><p>We have worked with Weston College for a number of years, as we can see that the students get the best possible help, support and training from the excellent team of tutors available, and we trust the judgement from them on the students that they recommend to us.</p><p>We have regularly employed students from the college in various departments of the business as well as giving many students the opportunity for work experience. We find work experience is extremely beneficial as it allows the learner to see first-hand how a business operates in their first steps before employment. We have regular communication with the tutors and business team, to make sure the relationship is always strong.</p><p>Working with the college has given students the opportunity to apply for various positions within the Heath Club and Spa. We have recruited many college leavers in the 16 years that I have been in charge, which has really helped us to grow our business. By having regular contact with the Weston College Team and a close working relationship, I know each leaver has been trained to the highest of standards from the excellent tutors and will provide us the experience that our guests expect. Furthermore, this is also beneficial in helping with a career for the individual.</p><p>I would highly recommend the College whatever course someone chooses; we have an amazing relationship and long may it continue!</p>

<p>My name is Ben Hoskin, and I am the Chief Operating Officer of <a href="https://www.regencypurchasing.co.uk/">Regency Purchasing Group</a>. I’ve worked here since 2009, and was appointed into this role in 2022. I also lead the UK’s largest network of field-based procurement managers.</p><p>For 20 years, Regency Purchasing Group have been helping businesses across the UK reduce their costs by leveraging the value of their collective spend. We work with over 170 local and national suppliers to support more than 5,000 businesses delivering savings of between 8-14% across all buying categories. However, we do so much more than just saving businesses time and money…</p><p>As sustainability continues to grow in significance on the global agenda, we’re helping more and more organisations align their procurement to unlock supply chain sustainability benefits and reduce the impact on social, environment and economic factors.</p><p>We will be working with Weston College, in particular the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/hospi… and Catering</a> department and the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/grove">Grove</a&gt;, to review their supply chain and identify ways in which the college can decrease emissions to achieve their ambition to become Net Zero.</p><p>We’ve already completed a full purchasing audit which has presented over 11% of cost savings, and next we’ll be reviewing waste and recycling processes and contracts.</p><p>We’ll also be introducing our market-leading technology solutions to provide the college with full control of their purchasing, as well as providing staff and students with access to MenuIQ, our menu, allergen and nutrition management system. The functionality within this system will allow students to effectively develop their menus, manage menu costs and understand the importance of allergen and ingredient management and compliance. The MenuIQ platform has been built by an in-house team of software specialists and as part of the partnership with the college, we intend to invite students to provide user feedback which will be considered for future development and new feature releases.</p><p>For the college, there are multiple drivers for why this is will create a positive impact, including cost reduction through reduced energy costs, reduced over-specification, reduced consumption, reduced wastage as well as reduced social and environmental compliance costs.</p><p>Sustainability also comes with risk reduction benefits – it reduces the potential negative financial impact on brand value from using unsustainable products or working with suppliers using unsustainable practices, as well as non-compliance with environmental regulations.</p><p>There will also be opportunity for the college to increase revenue by charging more for eco-friendly products, as well as possible income streams from incentivised recycling and waste management programmes.</p><p>Net zero is the best way we can tackle climate change; the actions we take in the next 10 years to limit emissions will be critical to the future of the planet, so it’s hugely important that businesses and individuals work together to reduce the carbon we produce.</p><p>As a national business with roots in Weston-super-Mare, we’re delighted to be supporting such a progressive local business. I am confident that our partnership will go from strength to strength, leaving no stone unturned.</p><p><em>- Ben Hoskin, Regency Purchasing Group</em></p>

<p><a href="https://mollies.com/">Mollie’s Motel and Diner</a> have just been welcomed as Future Talent Business Partners of Weston College, in association with the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/84501_Weston%20Col… and Hospitality Career Excellence Hub (CEH)</a>. The <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs">CEH</a&gt; allows learners to take part in many career boosting benefits, and work alongside professionals to pick up skills and knowledge to impress employers looking to recruit the best talent.</p><p>Mollie’s is a growing family of motel-diners with big ambitions. In spirit, Mollie’s was born in America – an offspring of the classic roadside motel and drive-in diner, a welcome stopover on a route to somewhere. They borrowed the inviting red neon signs and the easy-going vibe, the burgers, the shakes, the bottomless coffee, a dash of nostalgia, but there’s nothing old-school about Mollie’s. Expect innovative digital check-in, EV chargers, designer rooms with a fresh Soho House look and affordable prices.</p><p>Mollie’s reached out to Weston College as part of their career pathways project, hoping for support in their current team’s growth and development, as well as an exciting welcome into the hospitality industry. The company as a whole want to support their people, the communities they serve, and playing a part to reinvigorate the industry.</p><p>Trudi Parr, People and Development lead from Mollie’s, spoke about what being part of the Career Excellence Hub means to them: “The Career Excellence Hub helps us provide additional support and structure and gives us an additional platform to reach and enrich the future lives of people joining the hospitality sector and at Mollie’s.</p><p>“We want all our team to have a clear career pathway and for us to be able to provide the tools that enable this. Being part of the Career Excellence Hub will help us achieve our goal and promise our team the investment and support in building a longstanding career.”</p><p>Once the CEH has been fully embedded into Mollie’s career pathways programme, drop in events will be held for their own team, as well as external events for freshers’ and apprenticeships, to engage with as many people as they can. Trudi explained, “We have a responsibility to invest in the future of hospitality employees and we are looking forward to working with our partners at the career excellence hub to do this.</p><p>“We encourage other businesses considering it, to join us! It gives the opportunity to reinvent the narrative, support the development of talent and support the community in an industry that we love.”</p><p>Sandra Bull, the Dean of Faculty of Service Sectors, commented, “We are so thrilled that Mollie’s has joined our Hospitality and Catering Career Excellence Hub. Our mission statement is ‘creating brighter futures’ and we passionately believe in helping all our students reach their ultimate goal, focussing on their future employability and developing the skills they will need to have a successful career, and we are confident that Mollie’s will be able to support our learners in this way. We’re so excited to see what happens from this partnership.”</p><p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs">If you’d like to learn more about the Career Excellence Hub, click here!</a></p>