Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Catering and Hospitality department has been awarded £30,000 worth of funding to help purchase new equipment and enable the delivery of a new Level 3 course.
The funding comes from the Savoy Educational Trust, an independent grant giving charitable trust whose main aim is the advancement and development of education, training and qualifications for the benefit the UK hospitality industry.
Catering and Hospitality courses are currently run at Level 1 and Level 2 at WCUC’s Salisbury and Trowbridge campuses. Courses are taught in industry-standard kitchens by lecturers with years of experience.
Alongside their studies, students also work in restaurants open to the public at each site – The Wessex Restaurant in Salisbury and The White Horse Restaurant in Trowbridge –preparing and cooking meals to order under the guidance of professional chefs.
Thanks to the funding, new equipment and technology will be purchased to modernise processes within the restaurants, including electronic ordering devices and printers and additional IT equipment.
New kitchen equipment for specialist culinary skills will also be purchased, such as equipment used in the preparation of chocolate.
This new equipment will enable the delivery of a new Level 3 course – the Advanced Technical Diploma in Professional Cookery – from September.
Steve Lloyd, Deputy Head of Department for Hospitality at WCUC, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding and are grateful to the Savoy Education Trust for the recognition of our role in developing future hospitality professionals.
“As well as helping to modernising our kitchens and the front-of-house experience within on-campus restaurants in line with industry standards, it will also enable us to launch an exciting new Level 3 programme starting in the 2024-25 academic year.
“As a college, our courses strive to deliver the knowledge and skills required to match the needs of industry and ensure learners are ready to enter workplace when they leave us. Our new Level 3 programme will develop students’ existing skills and teach specialised techniques to allow them to take on a variety of different professional roles within the hospitality sector.”
Find out more about WCUC’s Catering and Hospitality courses at the final Open Days of the 2023-24 academic year at the end of April. Register to attend here.
