Punch Taverns sign up to the Schools Hospitality Project

Punch Taverns have signed up as a key partner in a new education initiative which introduces young people to the hospitality industry. 

The Schools Hospitality Project helps pupils throughout the country understand the growing importance of the sector and also informs them about the many career paths on offer. At the same time, the scheme encourages young people to adopt more responsible attitudes to alcohol.

Punch Taverns are pleased to support such an important initiative, particularly as millions of young people go on to part-time or full-time employment in the hospitality sector. It is therefore vital that they understand how the UK now depends upon tourism, catering and other areas of the industry.

The company also supports the project's emphasis on good customer service as a key ingredient of success in any hospitality-based enterprise.

Moreover, as a business active in the licensed retail sector, Punch Taverns is delighted that the classroom materials distributed free to their nominated schools encourage young people to adopt responsible attitudes towards alcohol.

The Schools Hospitality Project is delivered in partnership with teachers but is not a government initiative. Its success is due entirely to the support of BII members across the UK. BII is the professional body for the licensed retail sector. With over 15,000 members, it promotes high standards, good employment practice and social responsibility within the hospitality industry.

Cathie Smith, Director of BIIAB said, "We are very grateful to Punch Taverns for their support which allows us to help teachers in a practical way while also raising awareness of the hospitality sector.

"As the project builds, our aim is to help young people understand that with hard work,
a friendly approach and professional training, they can benefit greatly from a wide range of employment opportunities and, if they choose, go on to build an interesting and rewarding career in a thriving sector of the economy."

Punch Taverns have nominated five Staffordshire secondary schools for the project: Abbot Beyne School, De Ferrers Specialist Technology College, Robert Sutton Catholic School, Paget High School and Paulet High School. All the schools have expressed their gratitude for the teacher-friendly project materials which are carefully designed to save staff time rather than generate extra work.

Mr Smith, the Head Teacher of Paget High School was quick to thank the project sponsors while Christine Carr, who runs the Learning Resource Centre at Abbot Beyne School, said she was extremely grateful to Punch Taverns for their support on such an important topic. She confirmed the project materials are ideal for the schools new Learning for Life course for 14-16 year-old pupils.

Gill Wildman, Head of Food Technology at DeFerrers Specialist Technology College, also expressed her gratitude to Punch Taverns. Gill intends to use the highly flexible project materials for the ‘Final Choice Options Programme’ when the school’s 13-14 year-olds make important decisions about their choice of GCSE courses.

Patrick Gaffney, Director of the Schools Project, added his own thanks to Punch Taverns saying, “We can only make a difference in schools if we gain the support of the wider community. I am delighted that Punch Taverns has decided to lead the way in this important initiative.”

Following the warm response from the nominated schools to the first batch of project materials, a second batch has recently been distributed to teachers. These focus more on the difficult issues surrounding alcohol and young people, and are therefore proving very helpful in Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE) classes.