TEN ambitious unemployed North Ayrshire residents came together to celebrate their achievements at a special graduation event.

The celebration, held at the Fullarton Community Centre, was attended by friends, family, councillors, DWP and the supporting employers marks the end of the intense training and the start of the graduates employment in the growing Ayrshire hospitality industry.

The North Ayrshire Hospitality School created by the hospitality education organisation, Hi! (Hub International) is the first if its kind in this area. The pilot course was funded by the charity ENABLE Scotland who specialise in supporting the unemployed and their families, and in particular those who have learning difficulties.

Trainee Adam Mcneil, 21, came to the course with a strong desire to be a chef, however after years of struggling to find paid employment he and his parents were worried he would never achieve his dream career.

His mum Joanne said: “My son is deaf and has additional needs and it was always a concern that it would be difficult for him to find employment. He completed the course with Hub International which included a placement at Seamill Hydro Hotel. He has now been offered a permanent job at the hotel as a chef. This course has been a turning point in Adam’s life. He is happy and his confidence has grown so much that he is now a different young man with a renewed enthusiasm for life.

“Steph, Janet and Hollie have gone above and beyond to ensure that Adam’s needs have been met at every stage of the course and we cannot thank them enough for everything they have done for Adam.”

The course which started in January included industry recognised qualifications, practical skills training, insights to North Ayrshire’s hospitality industry with trips to the Scottish Maritime Museum, Seamill Hydro Hotel, GRO and the Waterside Hotel, trainees also got to meet hoteliers and entrepreneurs such as Susan from the Cafe at the Station Saltcoats who has recently re-opened the cafe with a new community feel and has supports training and work experience for the trainees as well as meals for the underprivileged.

The pilot programme aims to tackle unemployment in North Ayrshire as well as support growing tourism and hospitality businesses to think about becoming more inclusive employers which will support their skills shortage in the long term.

CEO of Hi! Stephanie Wade said: “It’s crucial for hospitality businesses to start planning now to attract the next generation of hospitality employees. To do this it’s important to adopt fair and inclusive practices when recruiting, supporting young or unemployed people with no experience to access vacancies, coupled with paying the living wage and guaranteeing contracted hours over the use of zero hours contracts is one way to become a great employer and attract new talent.”

“Ayrshire is tipped to become the next tourism hotspot, attracting government investment to drive tourism in North Ayrshire especially, so business should act now and tap in to initiatives like this that help local people gain sustainable employment so their businesses have the workforce needed to satisfy tourists demand. As Scotland becomes even more attractive for international tourists there’s a need now more than ever to build strong, stable workforce’s that can deliver excellent customer experiences. These new graduates have all previously struggled to attract the attention of local employers, now with new skills and confidence they’re getting employment with top hotels and are eager to get working their way up the ladder’

If you’d like to be involved in future projects please contact: info@hi-People.org

Graduate Names: Adam Mcneil, Frank Mckinnie, Becca Smith, Heather Sheridan-Smith, Jaqui Devlin, Joe Szula, Louise Ferguson, Michelle Anderson, Nikki Murray and Theresa Howie.

Employers / Businesses Involved: Enable Scotland, The Waterside Hotel, Scottish Maritime Museum, GRO, Puffers Cafe, Rossett Butler School, Seamill Hydro Hotel, Green Shutters and Cafe at the Station.