Pizza Hut Restaurants is letting its apprentices take over the reins at its Manchester Trafford Centre Hut on 7th March as part of a bold move to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week. Through the ‘apprentice takeover’, learners will take on all of the restaurant roles, giving them full control of the Hut for the day.
In a show of confidence in its apprenticeship programme, more than a dozen learners from across Manchester, Chester and Stockport, will be challenged to show off their skills by working across the full range of restaurant roles including Pizza Chefs, Guest Servers and in leadership and management positions.
The team, which will be led by Aaron Oreschnick, Deputy Manager and candidate on Pizza Hut Restaurants’ degree level apprenticeship programme, will also take part in a learner forum where they will have the opportunity to share their experiences.
Pizza Hut Restaurants offers the full range of apprenticeships from Intermediate to degree standard, demonstrating the diversity of opportunities available within the business. These provide employees with a wide range of skills from guest service and hospitality leadership through to more technical requirements focusing on food production.
Over the next 12 months the company plans to offer around 100 apprenticeship places in a variety of locations across the UK. The business is also seeking candidates to enrol on its degree level apprenticeship programme – a first for the hospitality industry delivered in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.
Kathryn Austin, HR and Marketing Director, at Pizza Hut Restaurants, said: “We have complete confidence in handing our whole Trafford Centre Hut to our apprentices to run for the day. As part of our apprenticeship programme, we’ve invested in high quality on-the-job training which means they’re well equipped to cover the entire spectrum of our business – whether that’s working in the kitchen, front of house or being the manager in charge. We have a fantastic team in place for the Manchester takeover and I can’t wait to see what they achieve.
“Our people are our greatest asset and we want to equip them with the right skills to succeed for the future. We have deliberately adopted an approach which focuses on teaching skills for life and are keen to nurture talent right across our business so that people can have a long-lasting and rewarding career with us.”
Aaron Oreschnick, Deputy Manager at Pizza Hut Restaurants’ Manchester Trafford Hut, was one of the first to enrol on the company’s degree level programme in September. He said: “I’m really looking forward to the apprentice takeover. It’s a great opportunity for apprentices at all levels to get together and showcase what they’ve learnt. I’ve previously been involved with the learning and development side of the business so will be able to offer some tips for success too.
“The degree apprenticeship programme has been great for me. It combines on the job training with formal modules which has really helped me to develop my management skills and enhance my technical skills at the same time. I’ve always wanted to run my own restaurant and the course will get me one step closer to realising that dream.”
Kate Green, Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston, said: “This National Apprenticeship Week I was pleased to learn what Pizza Hut Restaurants is doing to provide opportunities for apprentices locally.
“It’s great that Pizza Hut Restaurants offer a degree course in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University as well as the chance for apprentices to develop a skills base in the hospitality industry.
“Events like this are really important in raising awareness about the important role apprentices play in the workplace and the success that they can bring to businesses in our local area.”
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