Future Careers project showcases hospitality

Warwickshire County Council has teamed up with Kenilworth’s oldest pub, the famous Virgins & Castle, to showcase careers in hospitality and employment opportunities at the 16th century pub.

As part of the council’s Skills for Employment programme, a select group of Warwickshire businesses were chosen to film behind the scenes and create a digital showreel with team interviews.

The Virgins & Castle was taken over by award-winning hospitality group Caviar & Chips one week before the country went into lockdown.

Since re-opening, they have been recruiting for roles across the pub in leadership, front-of-house and kitchen positions.

More recently they have created three new apprenticeship opportunities with WCG (formerly War-wickshire College) which is a great example of Warwickshire businesses navigating their way through the impact of COVID-19 and creating employment.

Julie Crump, Chief Operations Officer at Caviar & Chips, who leads on recruitment and operations at the Virgins & Castle, said: “Even before we took on the ownership of the Virgins & Castle, we knew we wanted to create jobs and opportunities for talented people in our community. Just before lock-down we started planning with WCG how we would start our apprenticeship programmes, but that was sadly put on hold while the country had to stay home and we held our breath on where the hospitality sector stood.

“Since re-opening the pub, we have been busy recruiting and we’re doing so in a way to buck the trend for what it’s like to work in hospitality.

“We’re keen for the next generation of hospitality leaders to come through with a fresh perspective. It’s not about long days and unsociable hours. We create exciting roles with a great focus on guest experience. We play an active role in our community and we invest in the physical and mental well-being of our teams.

“So the Future Careers Digital Market Place programme with Warwickshire County Council gave us a great outlet to be able to speak to young people in schools, colleges and employment programmes.”

Leader of the Council and Conservative Group and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Councillor Izzi Seccombe OBE, said: “As Warwickshire’s economy kick-starts again, Warwickshire County Council's Economy and Skills team continues to work with businesses and education partners to connect those companies looking for talent and those people looking for work. Being able to do this through short films and making use of digital and social media means that we’re communicating in a more dynamic and relevant way.

“It is our mission to help maintain a strong supply of talent whilst also providing an opportunity for all sectors to gain new skills by presenting their business in a quite different digital world.”

The footage recorded at the Virgins & Castle will be made available at the beginning of November and you can learn more about the job opportunities available by visiting their website www.virginsandcastle.com 

If you're a business who would like to work with Warwickshire County Council

who would like to work with Warwickshire County Council to create your own film piece, contact the team on skillshub@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Caption: Filming behind the bar at the Virgins & Castle in Kenilworth