Dinner ladies go back to school and win recognition for commitment
Two local Dinner Ladies who went back to college after raising their families have won an award in recognition of their enthusiasm and commitment to learning.
Jackie Bonini and Lisa Hill have just completed their NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery with Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College as part of the Train to Gain initiative.
Train to Gain has become the success story of the year after numbers for the free training programmes rocketed from nine at the beginning of January 2007 to 500 by the end of June.
Speaking at the event, Jackie said “It’s really nice to get recognition for what you do and has made all the hard work worthwhile. I haven’t been in a learning environment since I went to school but my tutor was really friendly and helpful so I wasn’t put off. Our school does a lot of entertaining and I wanted to get involved so I decided to try and get a qualification. It just goes to show that if you put a little bit of effort in, you can achieve a lot in the workplace.”
Both ladies completed their qualification through the college’s Hospitality Division and learned on the job, in their own working environment, cutting costs and maximizing convenience for their employer.
Guest speaker at the event was Jim McLean, Training Manager at Europa Support Services. They provide a vast range of services for some of the biggest businesses in the UK, including the MetroCentre in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear. He spoke of how his company has committed over £250,000 towards training in the past 12 months and how partnerships with good colleges are essential for expanding businesses.
Commenting further at the event which was held at the College in Barons Court, Neil Roberts, from the Learning and Skills Council said “We are very proud to be associated with such a high performing college. They really do deliver. We are in this business to make a difference and it is essential that the relationships which are in place continue to be as effective and flexible as they are now.”
Train to Gain is a new service funded by the Learning and Skills Council, to provide free training for employees through brokers who offer essential advice and guidance on business skills needs.
To find out more, visit http://www.wlc.ac.uk/wlc/business/train2gain/, or e mail train2gain@wlc.ac.uk or call 020 7565 1263
July 24, 2007