May 2017

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2017 dedicated to alumni from UCB's College of Food!

Read time: approx 1 mins

First off, some exciting news…

All change! Hospitality programmes are being reunited with the College of Food to provide a clearer focus on the wider hospitality and catering sectors offering a host of diverse career pathways for students.

Coinciding with this, UCB’s Travel and Tourism, Events Management and Aviation programmes are joining the Business School, again, to bring more clarity to job opportunities within these sectors.

But, what does it mean for you? 

Well, by having four schools instead of five, UCB will be able to focus its alumni newsletters to each specific school, making stories and updates totally relevant to you.

We love hearing about what you’re up to and any suggestions on what you’d like to read, just shout! Email alumni@ucb.ac.uk

Alumni wowed by UCB’s new culinary facilities at careers event

A very big thank you to the more than 40 alumni who came from all over to attend this year’s careers evening for students on the UCB’s Culinary Arts Management (CAM) course. 

Not only did the CAM graduates get to tuck into some fabulous fare at UCB’s Brasserie restaurant, they were treated to a tour of the impressive, new kitchen facilities and Food Science and Innovation Suite (FSIS) on the 4th floor. Some graduated before the FSIS was built and were mighty impressed!

Coming from as far as Oxford, London and Leeds, alumni also took the time to inspire the 50-strong audience of current students from across the years with short presentations on how their careers have progressed. This was a real boost for the students as they learnt about life after UCB, students being impressed by the wide range of roles alumni are undertaking in the culinary industry. 

The students particularly liked hearing about the job opportunities in product development and teaching, as well as from those alumni who work in diverse catering and hospitality roles.

Alumni also had the opportunity to chat to students informally about the career choices they made and how they came to work in their current position. This provided the perfect platform to show how their UCB education had made a big impact on their career and how valuable work placements were in giving a real insight into the industry.

Daniel Jones, a graduate and alumni, told a group of students how UCB had helped shape his career. 

"I definitely wouldn't have had my own chocolate business or be in my current NPD role without the help and support from UCB during my studies,” he said. “Fantastic course, amazing lecturers, and a wealth of knowledge."

Chef Lecturer Lewis Walker, one of the organisers of the event, said: 

“Bringing together the current Culinary Arts Management students with our CAM alumni is a great opportunity to share experiences, discuss current trends, and forge new friendships and contacts. Hopefully, the students were inspired by the amazing careers that potentially lie ahead of them and, of course, it is always great to see how our ex-students are now succeeding across a range of professions and roles.” 

Alumni success Story

A cookery book penned by a former UCB student will soon be taking its place on the shelves of two major high street retailers. My Modern Indian Kitchen, is released next month by London publishers Ryland Peters and Small. It will be stocked by Waterstones and WHSmith, and will be available on Amazon. 

Ever thought about employing an apprentice?

It has never been easier! You can recruit a new starter or wrap an apprenticeship programme around an existing role where employees need extra training and development. 

Apprentices are available at level 2 to level 7, so employees can even do degree apprenticeships and even what’s now being called a ‘Mastership’.

The government will invest 100% of the costs of training for companies who employ under 50 staff and recruit 16-18 year olds. Companies with more than 50 staff will need to pay 10% of the costs of training the apprentice. And, of course, it’s good to be reminded that apprentices are employees and are paid a salary by the employer. 

UCB is also proud to announce that is has been successful in its bid to be accepted on the quality assured, national Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers, which means we can work with employers who have started to pay the Apprenticeship Levy each month, as well as support all types of companies with their apprenticeship questions, queries and needs.

Just give the Central Apprenticeship Team at UCB a call on 0121 232 4091 or email apprenticeships@ucb.ac.uk 

Win a UCB goodie bag!

We would love to know what your favourite lunch was when you were at UCB. Was it…Fish and Chips Friday? Chocolate Concrete and Custard? Roast lunch? 

Whatever it was, email us your name, contact number, course studied, year you graduated in and your answer to alumni@ucb.ac.uk and be entered into a prize draw to win a UCB goodie bag. This contains a T-shirt, sports bottle, USB drive, UCB branded ball point pen and much more!   

Keep in touch

We love to hear from you!

Please contact us at alumni@ucb.ac.uk

  • You can update your details
  • Find out which events interest you
  • Tell us about your successes 
  • Find out how to engage with current UCB students as a mentor or inspirational speaker 
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