September 02, 2009 // Franchising.com // Whitbread, the UK's leading hotel and restaurant group, has achieved an 'Outstanding' grade for its Hospitality and Catering Training programme following an inspection by Ofsted.
Every company that offers a government sponsored training programme is eligible for an Ofsted inspection - very similar to those that schools and colleges experience.
Whitbread has been awarded an 'Outstanding' overall grade for its Hospitality and Catering Training programme which is embedded in their company Induction and Core Skills training programme. Whitbread was also awarded a 'Good' overall grade for its Skills for life training provision.
The Ofsted inspectors use a four-point scale, (Grade 1 - Outstanding, Grade 2 - Good, Grade 3 - Satisfactory and Grade 4 - Inadequate), to summarise their judgements about achievement and standards, the quality of the provision, the leadership and management of the programme. In deciding the scope of the inspection, inspectors take account of Whitbread's most recent self-assessment report, development plans and comments from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
The full report is now available at the Ofsted website but the key points from the report are:
Mirium Uzoka, Premier Inn Elstree/Borehamwood who is working towards her Apprenticeship in Front Office and has achieved her Skills for Life Numeracy qualification at level 2: "Doing the apprenticeship has helped me learn in way that is convenient for me, through hands on experience on the job. It has given me more choices in my career".
Alan Parker, Chief Executive Officer of Whitbread commented: "I am delighted with the results of the Ofsted Report. Our people are at the heart of our business, so it is important that we provide opportunities for everyone to develop and gain qualifications. By offering this kind of training, I believe that we can and do attract the very best talent in the hospitality sector".
Notes to Editors:
Whitbread PLC is the UK's largest hotel and restaurant group operating market-leading businesses in the budget hotels and restaurant sectors. Its well-loved brands are Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee.
Whitbread PLC employs over 33,000 people and serves 9 million customers every month in its 1,800 outlets across the UK.
In the financial year ended 26th February 2009, Whitbread PLC reported a 9.7% increase in Group Revenue to £1334.6 million and 12% increase in Underlying Pre-tax Profit to £228.2 million.
Whitbread PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index.
In March 2009 Whitbread launched the 'Whitbread Model' - a six month apprenticeship programme.
The 'Whitbread Model' is an innovative apprenticeship programme because all employees are eligible across its UK hotel and restaurant operations. The model is also totally integrated into the core business training and development programmes and can be achieved in half the time of a normal NVQ. Employees can study for NVQ's in House keeping, Food processing and Cooking, Food and Drink service and Front Office.
Whitbread PLC is the UK's leading hospitality company, managing the number one brands in hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops, including Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, and Costa.