Apprenticeship Week 2012: James Dalgleish
03.02.12
Success on a plate
On the face of it, 17-year-old James Dalgleish didn’t have a lot to look forward to. Leaving school with no qualifications, he quit the family home in Gwent and was dependent on social services to provide him with bed and breakfast in a hostel. The signs were not good.
Today, less than a year later, James has a council flat which he is decorating, he is getting a living wage and has taken his first steps on an interesting and rewarding career. So what brought about the transformation?
It all started when James had a chat with a fellow resident in the hostel, an elderly lady who was studying for an Open College Network (OCN) qualification in catering. James had always had an interest in cooking and the conversation looks to have changed the course of his life.
He decided to go for the same qualification, followed it up with a certificate in hygiene and gained experience working in a café in Blaenafon.
Careers Wales in Cwmbran referred him to ITEC, one of Wales’ leading training providers, who have helped many thousands of people of all ages prepare themselves for – and put them into - the world of work. The ITEC team taught James communications, catering health & safety and other skills and found a work experience placement for him in the kitchens at the popular Ashbridge Inn in Cwmbran.
James has so impressed the management there with his dedication – including walking an hour to and from the Inn in all weathers - that he has been given a permanent job as a starter and dessert chef, earning six times the weekly state allowance he had to manage on previously.
Said James “After I left school and home, I wasn’t having much of a good time. I was in a hostel or a hotel. I’m loving it here. I made up my mind I was going to give 110% to see if an opportunity came up to get a permanent job.
“I want to become a professional chef eventually. I believe there’s always something out there for everyone – they’ve just got to try something. ”
John Bennett, Assistant Manager at the Ashbridge Inn, which is giving invaluable work experience to other ITEC learners, said “James is doing very well. He is very conscientious. We serve around 2,000 meals a week so our staff have to deliver quality meals and service under pressure.”
The ITEC Stakeholder Engagement Team which worked with James included Caroline Bradshaw - whose links with Whitbread plc have led to the work placements at the Ashbridge - and Annie Hartland.
Said Annie “We are all over the moon for James – he has done tremendously well. So much depends on attitude and James has real focus and willingness and a determination to get on. We all get great satisfaction when a learner grabs a chance like this.”
