Minding the Gap

Sean Owens takes a realistic view of hospitality training in Northern Ireland, acknowledging that more attention needs to be paid in some areas. He’s also keen to see more collaboration between educators and the industry…

Sean Owens says that while there’s little problem with the supply of well-trained staff in areas relating to food production for hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland, he is more concerned by the numbers currently being produced in the foodservice end of the sector.

Speaking to LCN recently, Sean said that work was underway in Northern Ireland to present food service training as a much more innovative, forward-thinking and long-term career for those interested in hospitality. And he called on those in the restaurant trade to open more opportunities and platforms for trainees to secure front-of-house experience.

“We’re getting there, but the numbers are still not as strong in food service as we would like, although the quality is excellent,” said Sean. “We just need more people to come forward and get involved.”

Sean is well-known throughout the restaurant trade as the owner and head chef of Gardiners G2 Restaurant in Magherafelt and head of food operations for the burgeoning Downey hospitality group, but what he is perhaps best known for is his long-term role with the food and hospitality trade show, IFEX, where he is Salon Culinaire director.

Sean believes that it’s essential for restaurants and chefs to demonstrate innovation and flair if they are to succeed in the current climate and for that to happen, he says, proper training is vital. The situation is vastly improved since the introduction of the Professional Chef Diploma, which shifts the emphasis a little away from purely classroom learning and back onto skills-based training:

“The Professional Chef Diploma provides intensive, hands-on skills training and you can really see the dividends,” says Sean. “So now, people are coming out with real practical experience of the rudiments of basic cooking right up to level three.”

He says he’d like to see much more collaboration between the industry and the training agencies in the future in order to foster a synergy which, he believes, leads to greater mutual understanding between catering professionals and the colleges – and helps develop staff with the practical skills necessary to meet the trade’s requirements.

For those who are interested in developing their staff to a higher level, Sean advises that there are parcels of funding available to help – if you set up your own training programme, for example, financial assistance is available through the Department of Employment and Learning:

Anyone interested in staff training should consult the government information portal at www.nidirect.gov.uk as a first step, says Sean.

And there are still some places available on the ongoing WorldHost training programme in Northern Ireland – it provides an excellent grounding in the basics of customer service and working out at around £20 per person, it represents excellent value.

“Everything is much more expensive today, we all know that,” says Sean Owens. “But people should remember that investing in skills will actually save them money in the long term.”