Dundee pupils are getting a taste for the hospitality industry ahead of the Waterfront completion, which is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the city.
This week the classrooms at Grove Academy are being transformed into kitchens, spas, bars and a gym to give pupils an insight into the workings of a five-star hotel.
The two-day event, which ends on Wednesday, includes hands-on workshops on making mocktails, front-of-house service and cook-off style masterclasses with top Scottish chefs Francis Simpson of Compass Group and Matt Hawkins of Jamie’s Italian.
A total of 220 pupils aged 14-18 are taking part, with the aim of considering the hospitality and tourism industry as a potential career option when they leave school.
The workshops, entitled Taste the Industry, are being organised by the Tennent’s Training Academy (TTA) and Tree of Knowledge.
TTA director Stephanie Wade said: “We’ve got 110 pupils each day. We’re going to do some practical skills master classes, so they’re going to learn how to do some cooking, how to be a bartender, how to make coffee, real practical skills that they need to go out into the world of work.
“We hope that by the end they might consider a career in hospitality industry. But if they don’t that’s OK they’ll have had a real fun day.”
Taste the Industry was thought up following the Scottish Government report Developing the Young Workforce, which indicated that employers and education should work more closely.
The report highlighted that giving young people skills and knowledge will give them confidence that they can gain employment after leaving school and help reduce youth unemployment.
Lauren Dewer, a third-year pupil from Broughty Ferry, said: “We’ve been learning new skills and we’ve learned about the different jobs that are out there. I’ve learned a lot more today than I knew about the hospitality industry beforehand.”