A group of 11 hospitality stars, who work across Buzzworks Holdings’ portfolio of venues, have taken their places in the Scottish hospitality company’s cutting edge immersive three-month Leadership Development Programme.
The Institute of Leadership and Management accredited programme, which is open to all senior members of staff, is not only unique to Buzzworks, but is also supported by Scottish Enterprise.
Since its initial rollout in 2017, 12 General Managers and 10 Head Chefs have completed the programme – with Buzzworks keen to train and develop its future leaders from within the business.
For 2019, the candidates include Debi Bradford, Tara Tough, David Howie, Carys McGhee, Antonia Ohare, Kenny Hepburn, Stuart McMaster, David Vacek, Johnny Blair, Martyn Cuthbert, Brian Canny and Alan Ferguson.
The candidates, representing all 11 venues within the Buzzworks portfolio, will complete both classroom based and practical tasks, covering a combination of leadership skills development and service excellence workshops, as well as sessions on enhancing financial knowledge and awareness.
Buzzworks Operations Director Alison Blair will also host a regular Supper Club event for the team to network with other senior members of staff, helping to boost their experiences on the programme.
With close mentoring from the Buzzworks Leadership Team throughout, all 11 managers will present a project at the end of the programme with recommendations for the business. These are then assessed and where appropriate, applied to the Buzzworks business model.
In previous years, the presentations have sparked change across all areas of the business including Finance, Marketing, Food Development and Operations.
Jamie Armour, who completed the Leadership Development Programme last summer said, “The programme was really like no other. It was intense, but really inspiring to work alongside my peers and helped to boost my confidence and skill level.
“It’s great to feel so encouraged from the senior team to not only progress my career within Buzzworks, but also to be given the support and skills to do so. Since completing the programme I’ve been promoted to Head Chef at Scotts Troon – and I believe this programme was a vital factor in this.
“Best of luck to the 2019 candidates, I’m sure they’ll all get so much out of the programme.”
Alison Blair, Buzzworks Holdings Operations Director, said, “We take great pride in the learning and development programmes we offer across all levels – it’s integral to both attracting and retaining our talented team, whilst adding value to the individuals and our business overall.
“I’ve been so impressed with the enthusiasm from our leadership team this year, I’m sure they’ll thrive during the programme and it will provide them with the skills to springboard their career progression further.
“Over the past 12 months, Buzzworks has invested £130,000 in training staff at all levels and our academy of development courses is fast becoming the benchmark for hospitality training across Scotland.”