Neil Parish MP Praises River Cottage Apprenticeships

Tiverton and Honiton MP Neil Parish joined with the head of the National Apprenticeship Service Karen Woodward and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at the launch of the River Cottage Apprenticeship programme on Friday 6th December.

Neil Parish praised River Cottage in his constituency for the positive impact their Apprenticeship programme is having on the South West and urged more employers in Devon to consider how Apprenticeships could deliver for their organisations.

During the visit to River Cottage headquarters Neil Parish was able to witness firsthand the benefits that apprentices are bringing to the business by seeing the apprentices at work and at their training at River Cottage HQ, Park Farm. Neil Parish, who is also a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, said:

“I am delighted that River Cottage is launching its Apprenticeship programme and is investing in young people. Apprenticeships offer school leavers the practical experience and skills needed in the work place and are a vital part of theGovernment’s plans for economic growth and education reforms to give opportunities to more young people. Already the number of Apprenticeships has almost doubled, and over a million started since 2010."

“Devon is world famous for the food it produces and is home to some of the finest restaurants, including three with Michelin Stars. These apprentices are the next generation of chefs who will stamp their mark on Devon’s culinary history and I know that with the skills they will learn here at River Cottage they will excel in their chosen career.”

River Cottage and its business partners are some of the 100,000 employers in England who currently offer Apprenticeships in 170 different industries and across 1500 job roles. During the 2011/2012 academic year more than half a million people startedan Apprenticeship in England, representing growth of 13.9 per cent on the previous year. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, speaking at the event said:

“There has been a renaissance in British restaurant cookery in recent years, not just in terms of the style of cooking and techniques now being employed, but also, more crucially in my view, in the approach of chefs to sourcing their food, embracing good provenance, and choosing their recipes. Far more of them are now celebrating local ingredients and traditionaldishes and running their businesses in a more sustainable way."

“With the River Cottage Chefs’ School we aim to strike while the iron is hot, helping to bring even more change and innovation in this area. We’ll be guiding our trainees in all the issues at which River Cottage excels: seasonality, ethical and local sourcing, regional ingredients and traditional, hands-on techniques. It’s a new step for us that I’m very excited about: after all, if we can inspire and inform the up-and-coming chefs of the UK, and beyond, they in turn can delight thousands, maybe even millions, of diners, all over the world.”

For information about Apprenticeships at River Cottage please contact http://www.rivercottage.net/chefs-school/ or for general information about Apprenticeships and the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds (AGE 16 to 24) which offers a minimum of £1500 to help eligible organisations (with up to 1000 employees) cover the costs of taking on a new apprentice, visit apprenticeships.org.uk or call 08000 150 600.