Building skills, confidence and employability through Eat Club’s Cooking and Hospitality Career Courses
By Lottie
Over the summer, Eat Club ran a series of Cooking and Hospitality Career Courses in partnership with Mary’s Youth Club, Somali Youth Development Resource Centre (SYDRC) and industry partners including Caravan (Roasters & Restaurant) and Green & Fortune.
With 14.5% of 16–24-year-olds in the UK unemployed, the current job market is challenging for young people. Funded by London Youth and The King’s Trust, our courses support young people from low-income backgrounds and those not in education, employment or training (NEET), to gain meaningful employment.
Our course offers insight into hospitality careers, covering both front and back of house, while also developing transferable life skills participants can take into any job. Research shows that young people that are NEET are significantly more likely to experience mental health difficulties than their peers in work or study, around 25% of young people that are NEET reporting mental health difficulties, compared with around 9% of those in employment. By recognising this close link between employment and wellbeing, our programme goes beyond technical training to help participants build confidence, motivation and wellbeing.
Each course also includes a Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene qualification, giving young people a strong foundation for future work in the hospitality industry.
Developing hospitality skills
As part of the courses, young people learned not only how to cook dishes from a range of cuisines, but also how to operate confidently in a professional kitchen and hospitality environment. They developed key workplace skills, including:
- Planning and organisation, preparing meals to a brief
- Time management and task allocation, working efficiently under pressure
- Clear communication across front of house and back of house roles
- Health and safety awareness, aligned with industry standards
- Problem-solving and teamwork in fast-paced environments
Real-world hospitality experience
A core part of each course was work experience with professional hospitality partners. At Caravan and Green & Fortune, participants rotated through FOH and BOH roles, including table service, barista work, bartending, kitchen prep, and large-scale event catering. These placements helped young people discover their strengths and explore the variety of roles in hospitality — often for the first time.
Learning skills for work and for life
These skills were put into practice through the final celebration meal, which mirrored the pace and structure of a real hospitality service. Working to a brief, participants planned, prepared and delivered the meal together, applying everything they had learned — from teamwork and communication to planning and budgeting.
While these skills are essential for hospitality careers, they are also valuable beyond the industry, giving young people the confidence to prepare nutritious, affordable meals and build independence during a cost of living crisis.
Outcomes that matter
By the end of our Cooking and Hospitality Career courses:
100% of participants reported feeling more confident, happier and motivated
100% gained practical skills they can apply beyond the kitchen — from budgeting to communication
88% expressed a new interest in hospitality careers
As one participant reflected:
“Baking, it makes me feel more confident. It makes me feel more relaxed, and you get to connect with so many different foods as well, like so many different ingredients, rather than buying a store-bought cake that’s got so many ingredients that doesn’t connect you with food. My confidence has increased as well, you know, especially when I’ve been taught so many different things from both chefs, and it’s something that I am going to take it on board. It’s changed my life, and I’m going to use it forever.” – Didi
Other participants highlighted how the courses helped them find direction and build confidence:
“This course showed me that planning and preparation are my strengths. Learning how to budget and organise properly helped me realise what kind of career I want.” – Essa
“I used to struggle talking to people, but now I feel confident starting conversations. Working with the staff showed me how much teamwork goes into hospitality.” – Afnan
“It opened my eyes to seeing food differently — as something creative and expressive, not just something you make.” – Hadija
Sometimes, all it takes is a supportive programme to help a young person discover their strengths, and take the first step towards a future they believe in.