Eleven graduate baristas have completed an eight-week Specialty Barista Traineeship in a successful collaboration between Company of Cooks, Gather & Gather, Vacherin, and social enterprise Well Grounded.
The programme provides technical coffee training and employability skills, with paid work placements at prestigious London sites within the portfolios of the three hospitality businesses, all part of CH&CO, and guaranteed work on completion.
The graduates gained a professional barista qualification plus Level 2 in both Customer Service and Food Safety, and over the course of the programme, they developed customer service and technical coffee skills, as well as essential professional and personal skills through their work placements and one-to-one mentoring.
Their achievements were celebrated at a graduation ceremony in London that saw the graduates showcase their learnings through the brewing and serving of delicious coffee and sharing their inspiring personal journeys.
Rob Fredrickson, Company of Cooks managing director, says: "Heartfelt congratulations to all our graduates.
Over the eight weeks of the Specialty Barista Traineeship, they’ve shown incredible verve and determination, which has seen them develop professionally into talented, qualified baristas and personally as exceptional people with infinite potential."
Heartfelt congratulations to all our graduates. Over the eight weeks of the Specialty Barista Traineeship, they’ve shown incredible verve and determination
"This partnership embodies our values at Well Grounded: Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Quality and Empowerment," adds Eve Wagg, founder and CEO.
"Together with Company of Cooks, Gather & Gather and Vacherin we bring our individual areas of expertise together to create lasting impact; to provide a quality product, and to celebrate the power of what can be achieved individually and as a collective.
It is about developing a new, exciting, diverse talent pipeline for the coffee industry but most of all it’s about empowerment.
To empower each of us to grow and fulfil our potential - I believe everyone who is touched by this partnership is changed and today is a sign of how it impacts so many lives."
Since its conception in 2016, Well Grounded has supported over 320 people into work, with 83% sustaining work for over 6 months.
