Lecturer Steve Bacon with apprentice chefs Helder Gois and Spencer Sykes in the College of Further Education kitchen yesterday. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0591836)

APPRENTICE chefs do work long hours and, they confirmed yesterday, that is continuing to drive trainees out of the industry.
And the attrition rate is high.

One 25-year-old said that of the 18 who started with him, only two completed their apprenticeship. And he is the only one still working in catering.

‘If the banks operated like these establishments, they wouldn’t have any staff,’ said Steve Bacon, head of catering at the College of Further Education, who last week launched a code of conduct to stop some establishments’ abuse of trainees.

One current apprentice, who wanted to remain anonymous out of concern for his job, is contracted to work 45 hours a week, with his employers paid by Education to release him for one day at college. But he said students were having to use their day off to attend classes. ‘I am working 65 hours and that is every week. I’m not going to work 80 hours a month for free,’ he said.