An independents by Sodexo catering manager collected a special award for encouraging more the 50 of his team to gain a basic skills qualification.
More than half of the current catering team of 28 at Caterham School gained national vocational qualifications (NVQs) courtesy of Croydon College.
In total, 52 people have benefited from the scheme over the past five years and Pádraig Ahern, the manager who encouraged them to qualify, received an Outstanding Employer Contribution accolade at a recent ceremony at the college run in conjunction with government initiative National Apprenticeship Week 2016.
Pádraig explained: “One of the college lecturers nominated me so I thought I should go along to the ceremony and, as the speeches were being made, I heard my name read out as the winner. It was a huge shock, but I was delighted.
“It’s about engaging employees and if you start out investing in them with proper qualifications you get that investment back tenfold. All the people we’ve had here have gained their qualifications working in the kitchen, learning the basics, and being assessed by the college lecturers who have monitored and verified their progress.
“It’s a ‘win, win’ situation for everybody: for the school, for the college, for Sodexo – but mainly for the employee.”
Posted by Independents
