Chichester BID and Chichester College launch Skills In The City initiative

The joint venture seeks to support the local industry by providing an opportunity for young individuals to gain invaluable work experience in hospitality, while simultaneously aiding local businesses in these challenging times. The two organisations are helping to cultivate a new generation of skilled professionals, while also offering a helping hand to some of the city’s food and drink outlets.

From popular cafes and restaurants to coffee shops and pubs, a diverse range of establishments have hosted work experience students during the pilot week as part of this exciting project.

Sarah Collins, Founder and Director of Jam Cafe said: "We were delighted to welcome Chichester College students to The Jam Cafe as part of the Chichester BID's Skills in the City Week. Offering work experience placements to support young people is an integral part of our business plan, so it was great to have the opportunity to participate in this pilot project so soon after the cafe opened. The students were amazing and highly engaged, coming up with some fantastic new menu ideas, many of which we are excited to adopt in our upcoming summer menu."

“Skills in the City is a community effort aimed at empowering students and supporting our much-loved local businesses by facilitating valuable work experience for those studying hospitality,” comments Helen Marshall, CEO of Chichester BID. “We hope to see this initiative develop over time as we aim to retain some of the incredible up and coming talent we have here in Chichester.”

Helen Loftus, Principal of Chichester College, expressed her gratitude for the collaboration with local businesses, saying, “We are incredibly pleased with the support from our local business community, which has provided our students with invaluable, hands-on experience in the hospitality sector. The pilot week has been a resounding success, and it's heartening to see our students not only gaining essential skills but also thoroughly enjoying their time there. This partnership is a testament to the positive impact that real-world experience can have on our students' education and future careers.'"

Chichester BID and Chichester College will seek to build on the successes of the project this year and hope that this initial trial will pave the way for other similar schemes in the coming years.

For more information about Skills in the City and how to participate in future initiatives, please contact Chichester BID.