Junior Chefs' Academy celebrates graduation

The Junior Chefs’ Academy aims to build the skills of future young chefs and is organised by People 1st, the sector skills council for the hospitality and tourism industry and Compass Group UK and Ireland, part of the world’s largest catering company.

Introduced in all six Northern Regional colleges in February last year, over 250 young people have been given a valuable insight into the industry as the Junior Chefs’ Academy has delivered 16 programmes across 13 campuses throughout Northern Ireland.

Congratulating the young chefs, Roisin McKee of People 1st said: Junior Chefs’ Academy is a fun-filled, hands-on introduction to cooking as a career and is a stepping stone to the professional cookery course the young graduates can now consider, inspiring future chef talent to join a growing and dynamic industry is key to Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Safefood and City and Guilds.”

The eighteen graduates aged 12 to 16, from eleven local schools all attended NRC’s Ballymena Campus and were presented with certificates by Tony Madden, Head of School Hospitality & Catering and Junior Chefs’ Academy supporters, Stephen Ramsey of Aghadowney Foods and David Lynn of Lynas Foods Services.

The next Junior Chefs’ Academy programme will begin in September.