The centre, on the Olympic doorstep will make sure local people get the skills and qualifications to support London through 2012 and beyond.

A new hospitality and catering centre is offering students the chance to achieve qualifications through working in a brand new restaurant and state-of-the-art kitchens. Renowned chef Paul Rankin officially opened the centre on Monday. Rankin spent the day with students, sharing his expertise with them before the evening's event. He said: "The London City Hospitality Centre has got everything for the hospitality industry to get the trained and qualified staff it so urgently needs to thrive."

The London City Hospitality Centre at Hackney Community College houses 20 state-of-the-art work stations modelled on the environment of a modern commercial kitchen. Students can study courses in professional cookery, customer service, bar, food and drink, hospitality and leadership and management to make sure they have the skills to meet the demands of the 2012 Games and beyond.

Downstairs, the Open Kitchen Bar & Restaurant will be run by students. This offers them a unique opportunity to gain and practice new skills and gain valuable experience to help them into further employment.

While the restaurant opened its doors to the public for the first time on Monday night, the upstairs training centre has been operating since March last year. Since then, students have gained 250 qualifications. This number is set to increase to 600 in time for the 2012 Games.

Veronica Aska, 54, from Hackney, who achieved a Level 1 in Professional Cookery, at LCHC, believes the course has helped her both on a personal and professional level: “As a mature student, returning to education was a bit daunting, however I learnt a lot of new things on this course such as modern cooking techniques, which are all taught in state of the art kitchen facilities. I’ve always loved cooking and baking and thought that this would be the ideal course for me as it involved a lot of practical experience. I really enjoyed this course and with all the skills I’ve acquired I hope I can contribute in some way to London during the 2012 Olympics."

Geoff Newton, Director for Olympic Opportunities at the London Development Agency, said: "Hospitality and Catering is a growth industry that can provide opportunities during the economic downturn. The London City Hospitality Centre will give students an important edge by gaining qualifications and valuable restaurant experience at the same time. The centre is on the doorstep to the 2012 Games and we want to ensure that there is a lasting Olympic legacy by helping people to gain the right skills now.” The centre has been developed by Hackney Community College and the London Development Agency with support from the Worshipful Company of Cooks and other partners.

(Edited by VLE Support TCCH - original submission Friday, 3 April 2009, 10:49 AM)