Foundation Receives Young People Award from Springboard

Work with young people is at the forefront of Springboard’s charity objectives, and it sees young people as the future of the industry, the lifeblood in sustaining the celebrated UK hospitality, leisure and tourism sector. The Young People Award recognises the most successful initiative specifically designed to attract young people into the industry, particularly from education and into work.

The Geoffrey Harrison Foundation currently supports two courses designed to give year 10 and 11 students an introduction to the hospitality industry: the Saturday morning Junior Chefs Academy held at University of West London (UWL), Ealing, and the Young Chef Academy at Westminster Kingsway College (WKC), Victoria. Over 70 per cent of the students participating in the courses go on to pursue a full-time course for a career in the hospitality industry.

Gareth Harrison, Joint Managing Director of Harrison Catering Services and Foundation trustee, said: ‘We’re pleased that the excellent work that The Geoffrey Harrison Foundation is doing to introduce young people to the hospitality industry has been recognised with this award. My fellow directors and I have seen in action the impact the chefs’ academies that the Foundation supports have on the students, and we remain committed to helping young people with an interest in catering to develop their skills and start down a successful career path’.