Ten prisoners who are engaged in the innovative prison charity’s programme to provide them with the skills to equip them for work in the hospitality industry on release, can now add sustainability to their portfolio of expertise after completing the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) Foundation level training.
The Clink is now looking to roll out the SRA’s programme across all four of its sites across England and Wales.
Chris Moore, Chief Executive of the Clink, said: “We’ve always put sustainability at the very heart of everything we do at the Clink and the SRA has been with us every step of the way. Its new sustainability training programme will help take this to the next level and provide our graduates with another hugely important skill for when they go out into the workplace. I’m sure our teams at Cardiff, High Down and Styal will also benefit from it enormously.”
The SRA delivered the training in person to the prisoners with roles in front of house, kitchen and cleaning. The programme is normally delivered online, but this was not possible with the limitations on internet access in prison.
The training is accredited by Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This gives trainees the opportunity to gain formal recognition of their achievement and demonstrate their personal commitment to sustainability.
Trainees said the new-found knowledge would in the short term be particularly useful when responding to customers’ questions about provenance and would help them in the search for employment opportunities in the longer term.
Mark Linehan, Managing Director of the SRA, said: “We’ve been delighted with the very positive response to our new Sustainability Training Programme from across the industry. As leaders in the training field, we’re really pleased that The Clink Charity has incorporated this into its programme as we believe it provides staff at any level and across all parts of the sector with the tools they need to help the industry further improve its sustainability.”
The training is available in three options, offering a combination of online and face-to-face learning, ranging from a fundamental foundation in foodservice sustainability through to a completely customised course. The programme is based on the SRA’s widely respected sustainability framework, built on the three pillars of Sourcing, Society and Environment.