London Chef is Springboardís top Ambassador

Andy Aston, Supervising Chef at Restaurant Associates in London, won the prestigious Springboard Ambassadorís Award. Sponsored by Hit Training Ltd, the award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement and innovation by a registered Springboard Ambassador whose activities have proven success in changing the perceptions towards and raising the profile of, a career in the industry.

Andyís enthusiasm in promoting Springboard, his company and the industry as a whole displayed commitment over and above the call of duty, commented the judges. He has had enormous involvement in Springboardís FutureChef competition, assisting in judging across each of the stages. Actively promoting and attending Springboard events, Andy has worked with the London and South East team to provide work experience for Summer School students and visited schools to encourage students to have a better understanding of food.

In presenting the award, Anne Pierce, chief executive of Springboard, commented, ìAmbassadors play a vital role in inspiring the talent of the future and Andy demonstrated those qualities in abundance. The high calibre of entrants this year was such that five were highly commended and thatís a real indication of the drive and enthusiasm that our Springboard Ambassadors demonstrate.î

ìOther Industry employers should grasp the Springboard Ambassador scheme to develop their most enthusiastic staff, like Andy Aston, to sell the good news about working in this exciting sector and to demonstrate the wow factors about careers with us from their own personal experience,î commented John Hyde, Managing Director of Hit Training Ltd.

ìAt HIT (Hospitality Industry Training) we acknowledge that our best trainers are those who not only have empathy with our learners, but are passionate about the industry and very willing to pass on their skills and experience.î
The highly commended Ambassadors were: June Harvey, Training Manager, Bartlett Mitchell; Robert Ince, General Manager, Loch Torridon Hotel; Paul Nixon, Visitor Services Manager, Scottish Seabird Centre; Bill Coyle, and Paul Miller, Executive Chef, Center Parcs Rufford, Nottingham.

The annual Springboard Awards for Excellence are now in their fourth year and recognise outstanding practice by companies and individuals in addressing one of the industryís most significant issues ñ attracting and retaining people. Each winning entry had to meet the award criteria of a clear strategy, address the specific need of their initiative, show clear aims and outcomes and provide proof of innovation, achievement, evaluation and use of partnerships.