Paul Myers decided to do an Apprenticeship as he found it gave him more scope to achieve what he wanted to do in life. He is now on the first rung of the ladder as catering Apprentice at The Park Inn Palace in Southend-on-Sea.
The 18 year old from Southend, said: “With an Apprenticeship I can actually learn more in a short space of time. I get more person-to-person training which I find helps me to learn quicker and at a better level as opposed to learning in a classroom environment.”
Paul also liked the payment structure as it allowed him to buy extra materials that he might not have been able to afford if he was just learning in a ‘classroom’.
He added: “I think the payment structure of an Apprenticeship really does enable the learner to have a much greater opportunity to learn. Being paid weekly or monthly, depending on the establishment, does allow you to go out and buy recipe books, equipment or whatever you need. If you are in a classroom not doing much practical work it’s a lot harder to improve yourself.”
And although Paul has only been an Apprentice at the Park Inn Palace for a short period of time he is already reaping the rewards of the scheme, especially in the current jobs climate.
He commented: “I’ve been working closely with the different chefs and learning their different styles of cooking, which will stand me in good stead during my Apprenticeship as well as any future employment.
