Member Article

Barton Grange Hotel Invests in Education for Lancashire Students

The Barton Grange Hotel near Preston is investing in the future of today’s young people with two new education and training initiatives that have taken place at the Hotel this month.

Students studying the BA Honours course for both International Hospitality Management and International Tourism Management at UCLan were given a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the hotel’s management and marketing by the general manager, Daniel Rich. They were introduced to the hotel’s busy operational management structure and given a practical insight into how a hotel business is run on a day-to-day basis. This included sales and business development, conference, banqueting and restaurant operations, bedroom accommodation and team management.

After the visit, each student will carry out an environmental analysis to assess the hotel’s business and, based upon this, they will produce a business development report with suggested and justified recommendations.

The Hotel has also been working with the Lancashire Enterprise Adviser Network (LEAN). The LEAN is an innovative programme which is part of a national network commissioned by the Career and Enterprise Company. Locally the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership co-funds the project, and it is delivered by the social enterprise Inspira.

Volunteers are drawn from businesses to work directly with the leadership of individual schools and colleges. Their role is to help them create effective employer engagement programmes, to enhance existing careers provision.

Daniel Rich, general manager at the Barton Grange Hotel, has recently been appointed as an Enterprise Adviser to the network. As part of the Hotel’s commitment to investing in the future of young people, the Lancashire Enterprise Adviser Network held a welcome event to induct 23 new advisers.

Commenting on the work with the UCLan students and The Enterprise Adviser Network, Daniel Rich said: “I’m a firm believer in investing and training young people to help them develop their careers and potentially prepare them for a role in the hospitality industry.

“It’s vital that we give them the skills they need to be able to develop a strong career path and allow them to understand what it’s like in the reality of running a business. Both the work we are doing with UCLan and Inspira provides young people with the practical knowledge they need to be able to make an informed choice about their careers.”

Amanda Payne, lecturer of tourism, hospitality and event management at UCLan said; “Working with the Barton Grange Hotel is an amazing opportunity for the students, and we are extremely grateful for their assistance with this. The visit provided valuable exposure to a real-life organisation, and the experience compliments and supports the academic theory we teach.”

Chief executive of Inspira, Mark Bowman, added: “The majority of Lancashire secondary schools, academies and colleges are now part of Lancashire’s growing network. They are supported by over 120 local business leaders who are helping each one to develop a comprehensive and effective careers and enterprise strategy, as required by the Statutory Duty to provide Careers Guidance and Inspiration. By targeting business leaders from Lancashire’s priority sectors, we can ensure that young people gain real-life experiences of what it is like in the world of work, and the careers that will be available to them in the future.”

Dr Michele Lawty-Jones of the LEP’s Skills & Employment Hub said: “We are very grateful to business leaders, such as Daniel, who have given their time to the network to inspire our future workforce and enable informed career decisions.”

For further information visit www.bartongrangehotel.co.uk or telephone 01772-862551.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by SARAH LEWIS .