Hospitality leaders to mentor apprentices through lockdown

27 Apr

Written By Guest

Umbrella Training’s launch of a series of Superhero Talks sees Hospitality Superheroes mentor apprentices.

The Superhero Talks bring together hospitality leaders and apprentices currently facing challenges through the Covid-19 lockdown.Umbrella Hospitality Superheroes include…

Sally Beck
Teresa Chacon
Michael Gray
Harry Murray MBE
Ben Purton
Jane Sunley
Joanne Taylor Stagg
Cyrus Todiwala OBE

Hospitality Superheroes mentor apprentices. Each superhero will conduct a talk aimed to inspire, educate and support apprentices and the wider hospitality community. Talks will focus on mental health, business planning and careers guidance and advice.The Superhero sessions will support all Umbrella Training’s 400 apprentices and its business partners.Specific talks being tailored to those on different types of apprenticeship.

These range from culinary, to front-of-house and management programmes.Umbrella’s ‘Hospitality Superheroes’ programme was launched to offer apprentices tailored mentoring sessions with senior industry leaders. The first ‘Superhero Talk’ took place on Friday 24th April and focused on ‘Lockdown Blues: Mental & Physical Well-being’ featuring Jane Sunley, Teresa Chacon and Michael Gray.Adele Oxberry, founder, Umbrella Training, said: “We are delighted to host these talks with an incredibly inspiring group of leaders from our sector and are pleased to be able to offer these to our apprentices.“

The sessions aim to provide tools and techniques to deal with issues many are facing right now. “We will explore the challenges that come with the Covid-19 lock-down and really want to focus on positive actions that can be taken whilst in this position.”

Sally Beck, general manager, Hotel Lancaster London, said: “I think it is vitally important to mentor and support apprentices over this period as they are our future. They need to be involved in our current situation with us as much as possible, to learn as much as they can about managing and leading through such periods of crisis. Our apprentices are of generations that are very much part of the solution, they have the capabilities and skills that we need to engage with to build the bright future that we will return to together.”

Harry Murray, chairman, Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, added: “An apprenticeship is a structured career path and it is important that we continue to mentor them during this difficult time because they are our next generation of leaders. Listening carefully to their needs is the key to mentoring to help build confidence. A mentor can help guide them to learn from this crisis so that they are motivated, energised & confident when restrictions are lifted to face up to the challenges”.

For those in supervisory & management roles it will be a learning curve of transformational leadership.”The Caterer Hospitality and Catering News