THREE former Brock Hospitality students qualify for UK WorldSkills finals

THREE former Brock Hospitality students qualify for UK WorldSkills finals

Three former Brockenhurst College Hospitality students have qualified for the national finals of the WorldSkills competition, which is to be held at the Birmingham NEC in November.

At stake will be places in the UK WorldSkills squad that will travel to Russia in 2019 for the WorldSkills international finals.

It is the first time the College has had three former students qualify for the national finals.

The successful trio secured their places during a regional heat at South Thames College in London during the summer.

Their performances were measured against those of competitors in the seven other regional heats, not just their own.

Supatthra ‘Suzie’ Viriphan, who works at the Chewton Glen hotel in New Milton, is competing in the Kitchen Category.

During the regional heat she completed a four-hour practical examination during which she prepared, cooked and presented four classical cuisine dishes.

Meanwhile, Jack Gadd from Stanwell House, Lymington, and Mark Russell from the Montagu Arms, Beaulieu, impressed regional judges in the Restaurant Services Category.

They produced a flambé dish, performed table-dressing tasks, presented coffee services and made cocktails.

All three contestants will now be allocated a budget to spend on their training before the finals.

They will also receive private lessons from teachers at the College to prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead.

Importantly, the College and the employers will form preparation partnerships so the contestants officially represent both organisations.

After learning about her success, Suzie said: “I’m looking forward to the next round because as the competition progresses the more technical the dishes become, and I’m always looking at ways that I can improve myself and learn new things.”

She continued: “A lot of extra effort is required for the national heat because the task lasts five hours; therefore, I will need to be consistent throughout… Plus a mystery basket will be added to test my skills and knowledge as a chef, which means I need to practise and refine specialised skills like fish-filleting.”

Hospitality Lecturer John MacArthur said: “We’re really proud to have all three of our competitors progress to the national final. It’s an enormous competition with over 70,000 people attending over the four-days.

“They were exceptional students while they studied at Brock and we’re thrilled they have gained employment with some of the finest restaurants in the South,” he added.

Suzie, Jack and Mark will be hoping to emulate the success of former Brock student Lucy Jones, who represented the UK in the Restaurant Services Category at the World Skills international final in Brazil in 2015.