Hartlepool café named among UK’s top apprenticeship employers

A Hartlepool café that sits at the heart of the local community has been named as one of the country’s “most outstanding” apprenticeship employers.

Place in the Park, located in Ward Jackson Park, was recognised by the Department for Education for its “vital” work boosting career opportunities for local people.

The business has worked with Northern Skills, the apprenticeship and training arm of Middlesbrough College Group, for more than four years to upskill staff and bring in new talent and was ranked an impressive 25th in the Top 50 National SME Apprenticeship Employers 2022, much to the surprise of owner Maria Seymour.

Maria, who has run the café for more than 14 years, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I opened the email; I thought it was a joke. We’ve been employing apprentices for years but thought this type of recognition was only for well-known, national employers.

“Apprentices play a huge role in our business so to know that we’re making a difference really means the world. It’s incredible watching our apprentices gain so much confidence in their role and realise how important what they do is.

“Most apprentices end up working with us full time and although some may eventually end up moving on to bigger things, they’ll leave having built fundamental skills that will last a lifetime, both personally and professionally.”

Current apprentices Leanne Eagle, 36, Ella Brown, 23 and 18-year-old Molly Gilchrest enrolled on a Level 2 Catering and Hospitality apprenticeship with Northern Skills, covering all aspects of hospitality and catering from cooking and serving to managing bookings and ensuring all legal requirements are met.

They have all since secured full-time roles at the cafe and Maria is now looking for a new apprentice to join the business as a coffee shop assistant.

Wendy Wright, NVQ work-based assessor at Northern Skills, added: “It’s been a pleasure working with Maria to help build her workforce and we were incredibly proud to see Place in the Park up there among this country’s leading apprenticeship employers.

“From bringing new staff into the business to equipping existing employees with the skills they need to progress, apprenticeships have proved to be the perfect recipe to success for Maria.”

In addition to being included in the final 50, Maria has been invited to the House of Lords to attend a reception lunch in September. She concluded: “I think sometimes employers can be apprehensive about taking on apprentices but what I’ve gained far outweighs the time I spend training them.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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