City of Glasgow College Supports Regrowth of Vital Industry

As Scotland’s hospitality, tourism and culinary sector starts to reopen, City of Glasgow College continues its role in supporting the industry.

With a well-earned reputation for excellence in hospitality and professional cookery, the college is well placed to help the sector as it adapts to the challenges created by the pandemic.

Gordon McIntyre, Associate Dean of Hospitality and Tourism at City of Glasgow College, said:

“We’re looking at quite a different landscape for our sector as it gets up and running. There were large numbers of businesses out there, and some will be lost. Our college offers the chance for individuals to retrain, re-skill and up-skill, ready for when employers need them most, ready for a fully reinvigorated sector being established.”

Just two weeks before the country went into lockdown, the college held a Hospitality and Culinary Summit attended by industry professionals and specialists from across the country. Its focus was on forging stronger partnerships with industry and working to change perceptions of the sector, and the mind set of influencers.

“Our objective then was to make hospitality and culinary not just a career of choice, but a career of first choice,” explained May Donald, Associate Dean of Culinary Arts and Bakery at the college.

“That is more important now than ever,” she said. “Our industry will always be needed and it is an industry that knows how to regrow, and it will be reborn. We must keep looking to the future and anticipating what is required. Our staff at the college have all worked in the industry, so we have many contacts which offers a huge advantage for students who study with us.”

The college’s Hospitality and Culinary Summit underlined the value of strong partnerships which was backed by Tom Kitchin, Chef Proprietor of The Kitchin Group, who praised the college for holding the event, saying: “It was a great initiative. I am certain many businesses will enter into the practical partnerships launched that day.”

For Gordon McIntyre it is now about continuing to work with industry, the Scottish government and awarding bodies to adapt to the current reality.

“Our industry is full of people who are creative and imaginative, and who seek solutions. And that is very much something that we as a college do also. We don’t see barriers, we see round them, and that is what we will carry on doing as we ease our way through this pandemic.”

Following the success of the Summit, and with the major changes the current crisis has raised, we are keen to hear from industry on how our college can continue to collaborate, support and work in partnership with them.

Please follow this link to view our Hospitality and Culinary Summit report.