Paul Rankin officially opens the London City Hospitality Centre
(Video link) 30/03/2009
Paul Rankin officially opens the London City Hospitality
Centre
30/03/2009
The centre, on the Olympic doorstep will make sure local people get the skills and
qualifications to support London through 2012 and beyond.
A new hospitality and catering centre is offering students the chance to achieve
qualifications through working in a brand new restaurant and state-of-the-art kitchens.
Renowned chef Paul Rankin officially opened the centre on Monday. Rankin spent the
day with students, sharing his expertise with them before the evening's event. He
said: "The London City Hospitality Centre has got everything for the hospitality
industry to get the trained and qualified staff it so urgently needs to thrive."
The London City Hospitality Centre at Hackney Community College houses 20 state-of-the-art
work stations modelled on the environment of a modern commercial kitchen. Students
can study courses in professional cookery, customer service, bar, food and drink,
hospitality and leadership and management to make sure they have the skills to meet
the demands of the 2012 Games and beyond.
Downstairs, the Open Kitchen Bar &Restaurant will be run by students.
This offers them a unique opportunity to gain and practice new skills and gain valuable
experience to help them into further employment.
While the restaurant opened its doors to the public for the first time on Monday
night, the upstairs training centre has been operating since March last year. Since
then, students have gained 250 qualifications. This number is set to increase to
600 in time for the 2012 Games.
Veronica Aska, 54, from Hackney, who achieved a Level 1 in Professional
Cookery, at LCHC, believes the course has helped her both on a personal and professional
level: “As a mature student, returning to education was a bit daunting, however
I learnt a lot of new things on this course such as modern cooking techniques, which
are all taught in state of the art kitchen facilities. I’ve always loved cooking
and baking and thought that this would be the ideal course for me as it involved
a lot of practical experience. I really enjoyed this course and with all the skills
I’ve acquired I hope I can contribute in some way to London during the 2012 Olympics."
Geoff Newton, Director for Olympic Opportunities at the London Development Agency,
said: "Hospitality and Catering is a growth industry that can provide opportunities
during the economic downturn. The London City Hospitality Centre will give students
an important edge by gaining qualifications and valuable restaurant experience at
the same time. The centre is on the doorstep to the 2012 Games and we want to ensure
that there is a lasting Olympic legacy by helping people to gain the right skills
now.” The centre has been developed by Hackney Community College and the London
Development Agency with support from the Worshipful Company of Cooks and other partners.