YOUNGSTERS at a York school got to take the reins at a top city hotel.
The Year 9 pupils from Millthorpe School in South Bank hosted a festive business networking event as part of an ongoing partnership between the school and Middlethorpe Hall.
It gives the students the opportunity to work with professionals at the hotel through Hospitality Connect, a project that has been adopted by the Hospitality Association York which matches their hotelier members with local schools.
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Pupils from Millthorpe School preparing food at Middlethorpe Hall (Image: Supplied)
Middlethorpe Hall’s director and general manager, Lionel Chatard, said: “The team at Middlethorpe Hall & Spa and I were delighted to work with the students on this exciting project. We were impressed by the dedication, enthusiasm and professionalism displayed by them during our regular meetings over the last four months and especially on the day of the event when they truly shone. We are grateful to everyone who attended the networking event – there was an impressive turnout, with many valuable connections made or renewed.
“We look forward to continuing working with Sarah Watts and the personal development and careers team at Millthorpe, on creating more interesting projects for the students throughout the forthcoming year.”
Pupils from Millthorpe School serving food at Middlethorpe Hall (Image: Supplied)
Sarah Watts, careers lead at Millthorpe said “We are committed to providing as many opportunities as possible to our students through our extensive Careers programme, so we’re thrilled about the opportunities this partnership with Middlethorpe Hall brings to our students. On behalf of everyone at Millthorpe I’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Lionel, Julia and the whole team for making this possible.
“It was a wonderful event, with a festive, cheery atmosphere and our students were simply fantastic at hosting and making sure the event was a success. So many of the guests at the event came to speak to me about how mature the students were in their conversations and how impressed they had been by their work ethic and dedication to make it succeed. I am super proud of everyone involved.”
Sarah Watts, Kavina Rothenburg and Lionel Chatard (Image: Supplied)
The aim of this partnership work is to shine a light on the hospitality sector and provide students with a series of encounters that will raise awareness of the breadth of opportunity within the industry.
Back in July, the team of Year 9 students from Millthorpe were introduced to their challenge by Mr Chatard, and conferencing and banqueting manager, Julia Betteridge, who invited the students to design, plan, and host a professional Christmas business networking event.
Throughout the autumn term the students took full ownership of the event. They created invitations, devised a guest list, contacted attendees, and collaborated with Middlethorpe’s kitchen team to develop the canapés to be served on the evening. The group also visited the hotel to learn about its history and to tour the grill room, kitchens and gardens, gaining valuable insight into hospitality operations.
Year 9 pupils from Millthorpe School hosted a festive business networking event at Middlethorpe Hall (Image: Supplied)
