Blackburn College Unveils New Hospitality Training Facility

A state-of-the-art facility designed to educate future hospitality professionals has been officially launched. Blackburn College has invested nearly £1 million in the new Scholars Kitchen and Scholars Restaurant, with aspirations that it will cultivate the Michelin star chefs of tomorrow. Dr. Fazal Dad, the principal, stated: “This investment is about ensuring that we can train current and future hospitality sector individuals to be job ready.” The complex features a contemporary restaurant, two kitchens, and a cafe, all managed by students, encompassing roles from front-of-house service to culinary preparation. Funding for the project was provided by the Local Skills Improvement Fund, supplemented by the college’s own financial contribution. David Lyon, a tutor and the head chef at Scholars, expressed his approval of the investment, remarking: “The hospitality industry has been decimated and my job is to get these students into paid employment and the only way we can do that is by replicating what’s out there in real life.” Among the students currently enrolled at the college, James Ashworth, 19, and Sophie Wilkinson, 18, have both achieved finalist status in the hospitality awards at the annual Marketing Lancashire Awards and possess experience working in Michelin star kitchens. James shared: “I was recently offered a job at Moor Hall in Liverpool, so I am planning on going there after I’ve finished this course.” Sophie further expressed her ambition to establish her own restaurant in the future. Michelin star chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen from the nearby Northcote, who serves as an ambassador for the college and performed the official opening, commented: “It’s very hard to recruit good staff nowadays and the hospitality sector in particular has had a hard time.” She added: “Just having an amazing kitchen and equipment to work on gives them great encouragement to enter the industry.” For additional content, listeners can access BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and connect with BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk and via Whatsapp at 0808 100 2230. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.