100 hospitality students at the City College Norwich had an amazing opportunity to see their future careers in action this February as they took over the Holiday Inn Norwich North for a week, in what has been claimed as the biggest such training event in the UK.As part of the week-long training exercise to celebrate 100 years of hospitality and catering at the college, the students took over the 4 star Norwich Hotel as well as 12 additional students working along side the team at Norwich International Airport.
General manager Bill Heath let students take on roles in reception, housekeeping, bar management, food preparation, food service and management. He said that: “ In the experience the students gain from this initiative is invaluable in their understanding of the hotel industry. Nothing beats real, hands-on, work experience and because they’re here for a week they’ll get to see all aspects of how a busy hotel and conference hotel operates from one day to the next.”
The annual week-long event gave students a taste of what it is like to work in the hospitality and tourism industries, and has increased in size every year since it first launched in 1998.
Corrienne Peasgood, principal of City College Norwich, said: “The hotel and airport takeover is one of the best examples of how employers and colleges can work together to develop real learning experiences for students. We are very proud of our partnerships with employers, which help support the development of the future workforce.”
