Cracking event for National Apprenticeship Week

The Principal of Furness College went head to head with the Barrow and Furness MP in a battle of culinary skills as part of National Apprenticeship Week, which starts today (Monday 6 February).

Principal and Chief Executive of Furness College Andrew Wren took on Simon Fell MP in a challenge to make the best omelette as well as a front-of-house challenge to set a table.

The catering team gave them a run-through to show them the basics before it was judged in front of a packed restaurant at the Channelside campus.

The honours were shared for 2023 with Andrew triumphing in the catering challenge while Simon won the table setting task.

Simon said it was great to be back for another challenge.

“The whole point of this week is showing people you can learn important skills that can last a lifetime,” he said. “Furness College offers the perfect opportunities for this with how realistic the working environment is with expert tutors working alongside.”

Andrew said: “Our catering facilities at Channelside are state-of-the-art and give apprentices the chance to hone their skills before taking them directly into the workplace. It was fantastic to see the restaurant thriving with members of the public enjoying the food cooked by students and apprentices and the enthusiasm for their practical learning.”

The colleges offers a range of catering and hospitality courses from Level 1 to Level 3 alongside food safety Level 2 courses and private lunches.

Catering lecturer Lorna Claridge, who set the challenges, said they wanted to showcase the industry and show how diverse catering and hospitality could be.

“It gave our MP a great opportunity to see the catering facilities that we have on offer, especially with us being in the middle of service while the challenge was happening, it helped show the restaurant is open to the public on a weekly basis.”

“We support a range of businesses from restaurants to hotels and with the theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week being ‘Skills for life’ these are not only handy skills to have in your career but in your home life too.”

Furness College offers apprenticeships in 12 sectors from accounting to digital, business to beauty, construction to customer services and management to motor vehicle. There are also apprenticeships in early years education, engineering, hairdressing, health and social care, information technology.

The college is taking part in a series of event put together for National Apprenticeship Week which feature across its digital and social media channels using the hashtag #NAW2023