Norman and Janet Whittall believe that Apprenticeships have a vital place in making their Country Inn the success that it is today. Situated in Little Cowarne, the Three Horseshoes has been the home for Norman and Janet for the past 25 years gaining a strong reputation for good quality food and winning coveted accolades from the Flavours of Herefordshire annual awards.

Janet has committed to all her staff working towards work based NVQs to strengthen the team and provide qualifications that will help their career.

“I am a great believer in training and have trained many of our own staff in-house. We have been working with Riverside Training for the past three years and now all our staff are involved in the programme” says Janet.

Currently, six staff are at different stages of their qualification including Apprenticeships in Licensed Hospitality Services and Customer Service. They are accredited by the British Innkeepers Institute (BII) which gives them national prominence.

Janet continues, “It has been particularly relevant in the recent months when Norman was taken ill and I had to step out of the business for 8 weeks to support him. Being out of the business, I had complete confidence in my team to continue running the Inn. The Apprenticeship has helped the team to grow in their skills and confidence”

And because Janet wanted all staff to be involved, it has created a great sense of motivation with everyone giving mutual support to pass their assessments.

Janet feels this holistic approach to training is essential whether you are working in the kitchen or front of house, whether Head Chef or table service; young or old

Having completed their Level 2 qualifications, staff can now progress onto further qualifications and continue their development.

“The training reinforces our approach to quality food and service, it has and continues to give us great satisfaction and sense of pride in what we have achieved” adds Janet.

Riverside Training offers a range of Apprenticeships including Hospitality & Catering; Customer Service; Business Administration and Management.

For further details, please contact Louise at Riverside Training on 01432 359244.