The Garden Centre Group has teamed up with Westminster Kingsway College to develop a new apprenticeship programme focussing on professional cookery in garden centre restarants.
Apprentices will learn on the job in GCG restaurants across the country, as well as taking masterclasses at the college. Successful completion of the course will earn them a City & Guilds work-based Diploma in Professional Cookery Level 2.

Successful candidates will also have the chance to progress onto higher level apprenticeships, linked to the management development strategy for the GCG. The programme promises the chance for hard-working apprentices to become managers or chefs in one of the GCG's restaurants within five years.

It follows on from the GCG's existing apprenticeship scheme focusing on garden centre employment and horticultures. GCG's head of training Tom Martell said: "Developing our chefs and restaurant managers of the future is core to our strategy.
"Westminster Kingsway is one of the premier further education colleges teaching hospitality and it is very exciting to work with them on apprenticeships."