The role is very varied and, although hospitality team members tend to specialise in an area, they have to be adaptable and ready to support colleagues across the business, for example during busy periods.

Specialist areas in hospitality include food and beverage service, serving alcoholic beverages, barista, food production, housekeeping, concierge and guest services, reception, reservations and conference and banqueting.

The most important part of the role is developing fantastic ‘hospitality’ skills and knowledge such as recognising customer needs, knowing how to match them to the products and services of the business and working as part of a team to ensure that every customer, whether they are eating in a restaurant, drinking cocktails in a bar, ordering room service in a hotel or attending a business conference, feels welcomed and looked after.

You’ll provide vital support to management teams and are capable of independently supervising hospitality services and running shifts, so the ability to think on your feet is important. You’ll typically work well under pressure delivering top-class customer service, and the ability to motivate a team is essential to your role.

The core set of supervisors’ skills and knowledge are the same regardless of the setting, but supervisors may specialise in specific functions or work across a variety of areas of the business reflecting the multi-functional nature of the industry.

Key responsibilities:

• Preparing, cooking and presenting dishes within your speciality.
• Managing and training any demi-chef de parties or commis working with you.
• Helping the sous chef and head chef to develop new dishes and menus.
• Ensuring you and your team have high standards of food hygiene and follow the rules of health and safety.
• Monitoring portion and waste control to maintain profit margins.

However, in smaller kitchens a chef de partie may work independently as the only person in their section. Also known as a station or section chef, the chef de partie reports to the senior chef and has a very important role in any kitchen.

A primary objective of the commis chef is to learn and understand how to carry out the basic functions in every section of the kitchen. This will give you the opportunity to experience, consider and value each section with a view to choosing an area where you feel most inspired.

The learning journey of a chef will vary considerably from one individual to the next; however it is the range of experiences in the basics gained in this role which provide the opportunities to progress to any future senior chef role.

Senior production chefs strive to produce customers’ meals consistently to perfection according to predetermined specifications. You will learn to have the ability to work independently and lead a team in often hot and highly challenging kitchen environments.

Production Chefs are likely to work in organisations where brands, recipes and menus have been created by a central development team.

Production chefs and their teams work quickly and efficiently, producing food often in high volumes, which is repeated day after day, requiring energy, highly methodical organisational skills and attention to detail.

Every day is different as a business administrator – one minute you’ll be preparing the CEO for their next meeting, and the next you’ll be answering the phone and updating the company website.

This is a position that requires you to be flexible, but the rewards of being qualified in admin are huge, as you have the chance to work in any industry that interests you. From small start-ups to large multinational companies, all companies rely heavily on the good administration to be successful.

As a Customer Service Apprentice in a Customer contact centre, you could play your part and build a career. You’ll be joining a team of people from many different backgrounds who are united in projecting the company values, doing the right thing for customers, keeping things simple and being extraordinary together.

You’ll cover areas such as:

• Communicate using customer service language
• Follow the rules to deliver customer service
• Maintain a positive and customer-friendly attitude
• Deal with customers face to face
• Do your job in a customer friendly way
• Organise the delivery of reliable customer service.

Looking to do your best you’ll “earn while you learn” and be responsible for resolving a range of enquiries from our residential customers politely and efficiently.  You’ll take ownership of each call, getting to the heart of the query, deciding the best course of action and providing the kind of service that earns our customers’ trust.  Our Customer Service Apprenticeship is a Level 2 Customer Service Apprenticeship.

Working in the private, public or third sector and in all sizes of organisation, specific responsibilities will vary, but the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed will be the same whatever the role.

Key responsibilities are likely to include supporting, managing and developing team members, leading projects, planning and monitoring workloads and resources, delivering operational plans, resolving problems, and building relationships internally and externally.