Chefs and beauty therapists receive tuition in trip of a lifetime.
Lucky students from Milton Keynes College have just returned from a trip of a lifetime to learn skills in Thai cookery and massage.
The 36 student chefs and beauty therapists were given intense tuition in Bangkok over 15 nights, working in training and then revising for several hours more when they finished their theory and practical classes.
While there are courses in Thai cuisine and massage available in the UK, staff and students agree that being trained by expert practitioners in their own country adds a unique degree of authenticity.
Now they’re putting their new skills to use: members of the public visiting the college’s restaurant, The Brasserie, will be able to sample Thai food on 1st and 8th May in a menu composed by the students.
And anyone wanting a Thai massage will soon be able to visit the Graduate Salon for a bit of pampering.
“The learners were absolutely amazing,” said Lucy Shamaro, course team leader for the chefs. “They really embraced this opportunity and clearly recognised the trip for the incredible chance that it was. It was a success beyond anything we had expected.”
“All the learners did brilliantly,” added Louise Naish, course team leader for the beauty therapy students. “Both groups of students were tested on what they’d been taught at the end of the week, and everybody passed and received their certificates. These are real skills they’ve now absorbed which will genuinely help them when they go to work.”
The trip was made possible by a Turing Grant from the Department for Education, which is made for educational trips and work placements around the world, especially for students from deprived areas.
“Some of our students had never been out of Milton Keynes before, let alone out of the country,” said Maria Bowness, MK College Group Director for Curriculum and Pedagogy. “We made clear to them before we went that this wasn’t a holiday, it was a serious work opportunity, and I was so impressed by the way they all took that very much to heart. Young people can get a bad reputation, but the trip reinforced how impressive and committed our students are and I am extremely proud of them.”
To book into the Brasserie visit The Brasserie Restaurant in Milton Keynes or for the Graduate Salon visit Graduate Salon.
