Name: Scott Napier

Placement: Training Manager, Evolution Level 4 (Hospitality Manager)

Apprenticeship: Stongegate’s Kitchen Team Leader apprenticeship

I started my apprenticeship journey as a Kitchen Team Leader, having previously graduated from Stonegate’s internal programme. I was assigned a development coach, who I met with every month (either virtually or in person), and then I uploaded each month’s work into an online portfolio. The apprenticeship took me through everything I needed to know about managing a kitchen – from legal regulations to leadership to identifying customer demographics. After 18 months, I was ready for my end point assessment – consisting of a Professional Discussion, a multiple-choice test, and a 10,000 word business proposal. Although this seemed daunting in the first few months, the online portfolio was invaluable to revising for EPA – having everything in one place was a huge help. In November, I passed the apprenticeship with a distinction!

Over the course of the apprenticeship, I progressed from Kitchen Team Leader to Kitchen manager, to Area Chef, to now being in Stonegate’s amazing Learning & Development department as a Training Manager. I can’t recommend apprenticeships enough! They are a great way to earn while you learn and commit to developing yourself and your professional career. In that spirit, I’ve recently enrolled on a Coaching Level 5 apprenticeship, which I am excited to complete