Hospitality and Catering Tutors upskill at 5-Star hotels

While most tutors look forward to the holidays when they can soak up the sun and enjoy their hard-earned time off, two catering lecturers from SERC have travelled to the Republic of Ireland to take part in a 5-day professional development training programme funded by Erasmus+ HE Mobility programme, supported by the European Commission.

The Erasmus+ programme allows staff to improve the quality and relevance of their teaching through staff upskilling in industry, supporting their professional development.

Catering lecturers Michelle McCarthy and Simon Russell travelled to two 5-Star hotels during their visit to Ireland where they set out to upskill their knowledge in food and beverage service.

The duo spent two days at the luxury Ashford Castle in County Mayo and three days at the historic Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny, which are renowned for using the finest local produce and excellent customer service.

The duo sought to refresh their professional cookery and hospitality skills so that their teaching techniques could reflect the latest industry standards, which they could relay back to the next generation of budding chefs.

During the week-long stay, both tutors got the opportunity to work with Ashford Castle’s award-winning sommelier who educated the tutors on the art of fine wine and food pairing. Whilst at Lyrath Estate Hotel, they got hands on experience in breakfast and afternoon tea services.

Head of School James Currie said “Both Michelle and Simon are fantastic tutors who always go above and beyond for their students. Their continued commitment to upskill their own knowledge is testament to the high quality of teaching and learning available at SERC. Work placements such as these have also developed new relationships with industry which can be nurtured, to promote professional innovation amongst students and staff.”