60 Second Interview With Kitchen Craft
We caught up with Tania Beasley, Lead Chef Trainer at Kitchen Craft, a unique project based on Plymouth Road which is giving local young people the opportunity to learn cooking skills and qualifications to help them pursue a career in the catering industry.
Tell us about Kitchen Craft
“Kitchen Craft is a vocational project for 13 – 16-year-olds based in Slough. The project was started in 2012 to offer students from challenging backgrounds the opportunity to learn cooking skills and recipes within the catering industry. We offer the students short- or long-term sessions, dependent on their needs, which also means they can work towards Home Cooking Skills L1 & L2 and an NVQ L1. I’m the lead chef trainer and I work with my assistant Tracy Russell. We both assess the qualifications and I am the verifier.”
Who runs the project?
“Kitchen Craft is operated by Haybrook College, the Slough-based academy trust which offers specialist teaching and learning pathways to young people aged 11 – 16 . The students we have in our college are children who present challenging behaviours, social issues and learning difficulties. We’re made up of several sites and projects to help young people access education and support them with various needs they may have. Ultimately, our aim is to inspire and encourage our young people to become independent and responsible individuals and choose positive futures.”
Can you tell us a bit more about your students?
“We cover young people with a range of behavioural and emotional issues that affect their learning. It could be emotional difficulties because of their background or learning difficulties, or children who have socially excluded themselves from school because of anxiety issues or bullying. Some of the young people are more suited to a vocational, business style environment or may be at risk of not being able to complete their GCSEs. And we also support children who are terminally ill or that need to spend extended periods of time in hospital. These students are taken care of by Wexham Park Hospital School who meet the needs of the individual student regardless of age.”
Where on the estate are you based?
“Kitchen Craft is located on Plymouth Road, but we also run the Slough Pitstop project on Buckingham Avenue, both units kindly supported by SEGRO. This initiative provides engaging skills-based programmes for young people in the local community to develop their interest in the motor vehicle industry. Similar to Kitchen Craft, our team is dedicated to ensuring learners can access training and gain the experience and life skills they require to support their progression into further education, training or employment, relating to the automotive sector.”
For further information on Kitchen Craft, please contact TaniaBeasley@haybrookcollege.co.uk