Bosses Go Back to the Floor

Bosses from Lincoln College and the National Apprenticeship Service went back to the floor at the Wig & Mitre in Lincoln to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week.

Sue van Zyl, Director of the School of Business at Lincoln College, and Henry Inman, Director of Employers Services (East Midlands) for the National Apprenticeship Service, were apprentices for an afternoon at the well known pub restaurant on Lincoln's Steep Hill.

Henry Inman, Martyn Englan & Sue van Zyl at the Wig & Mitre.

They worked alongside current catering and hospitality apprentices Chloe Allen and Martyn England as part of a week of events planned by Lincoln College, supported by the apprentice employers, to celebrate and raise awareness of apprenticeships.

“The day went extremely well and was highly amusing,” said Valerie Hope, chef de cuisine and director of the Wig & Mitre. “The apprentices for a day made a batch of cheese soufflés which all came out of the oven perfectly.

“I think the apprentices themselves found it useful to see something of the rest of the operation and Henry and Sue were very pleased with the way Martyn took the lead in showing them what to do.”

Sue van Zyl, Henry Inman & Chloe Allen at the Wig & Mitre.

Henry Inman added: “It was great to work alongside an apprentice in the kitchen and see at first hand the value they bring to the workplace. The Wig & Mitre is quite rightly very proud of its apprenticeship programme – a truly memorable experience. They have been taking apprentices on for many years now and are great ambassadors for the scheme.

“The idea behind Apprenticeship Week is to celebrate the talents of apprenticeships in terms of the career progression they can give and the potential to earn while you learn. It also gives us a chance to engage with the many employers who support the scheme.”

Ron Saint from the School of Business at Lincoln College added: “The Wig & Mitre has a long history and commitment to the training scheme – at the moment we even have three brothers working for the group!

“I believe apprenticeships schemes are very important, never more so than now, and we want to promote the fact that apprenticeships are not just for young people. Here at Lincoln College we are currently working with a 53 and a 46-year-old couple who have joined the scheme to help them learn more about running their new pub.”