IoH Membership – A force for good

The Ministry of Defence and the Institute of Hospitality may not be obvious stable mates but a new relationship suggests otherwise.

There was a time when all the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force required of its people was to be professional, to be leaders of personnel and have a cool head in a crisis; anything else was secondary. “We still want that but now, we also want them to develop as individuals alongside their industry colleagues. This is a culture change for the forces but as defence has got smaller and more integrated with industry, it has become more important,” says Jenny Naylor, profession engagement lead for the logistics profession in defence. “We also aim to make sure our people have the skills they need so that when they leave the forces, it will be easier for them to transition for industry.”

To this end, the MOD has forged a relationship with the Institute of Hospitality, which is offering membership to serving regular and reserve forces personnel and civilians in the MOD at all levels from affiliate to fellow and at considerably reduced fees. Find out more.

“Business largely does not understand what we do and engaging with industry bodies is part of breaking down barriers, so that we can say to our catering staff, we are interested in you as an entity and here is your offer,” says Jenny. Each of the forces has a Service Champion or Ambassador, who is working with the ministry to promote the relationship: “Introductory level for £25.00 for the first couple of years gives those who have not yet considered professional membership a chance to dip their toe in the water and see what it is about,” says Naylor. Ambassadors join free.

Traditionally, the navy has had chefs back of house and stewards front of house; these compare to the same roles in a hotel, but they have now been amalgamated. “This is because we are trying to modernise our business, so new recruits will join the catering services and will have craft skills for back and front of house,” says Ambassador Chief Petty Officer Lee Bartup. This is a smooth transition for those joining the navy but changing the process for incumbents is a work in progress. “The advantage for people undertaking those roles is that their skills not only benefit RN operational capability but also reflect a multi-skilling approach that aligns with that of many commercial catering service companies, giving them more opportunities when or if they leave; hopefully, it will make it easier for us to recruit to that side of the navy as well,” he says.

The force was having difficulty recruiting stewards in particular, which is self-perpetuating because when jobs at sea need filling, those doing them spend longer away. Reducing the domestic assistance role allows catering teams to concentrate on delivering high-end front and back of house delivery. “There will be fewer and fewer of those domestic assistance duties but we do not want to lose the skillset that brings the sense of engagement with front of house – we are very good at that and the change in emphasis allows people to focus on it,” says Bartup.

The RAF has a similar role in the form of chef Flight Sergeant Scott Espley, who is Ambassador for chefs and air ground stewards, and currently apprenticeship manager. He has constant interaction with hospitality managers at all RAF stations; the apprenticeship centre is located within the food services training wing at Worthy Down, Hampshire, where chefs and staff from all three services are trained. This will allow him to promote the IoH to those on training courses and to the remaining cohort when he’s on the road, currently curbed by COVID-19. He sees membership of the Institute as relevant to chefs and air ground stewards of all levels from apprentice to warrant officer. Scott Espley hopes to get membership funded for apprentices: “Then we would get 100% take-up and once they have got their trade, they could gain from the membership scheme by talking to peers about who are the right people to approach for employment. And there could be opportunities to work with chefs – we can sustain a week without them in the kitchen while they do that,” he says. “And if people jump on to the mentoring schemes, they can talk to people in a variety of areas; that’s how avenues open.”

The chance to network is one of the advantages Ambassador Captain James Wilson-White sees for army junior catering managers and above, with a view to learning more about civilian best practice and vice versa. “I think people could get better at that,” he says. In addition, “A lot of military chefs are apprehensive of joining the hotel sector and when they leave, they go into a similar environment such as an oil rig, where catering is institutional, rather than going into the competitive hotel and restaurant world,” he says. “I am hoping membership of the Institute will be a good opportunity to break down these barriers.” Worthy Down had started to release chefs to work in local restaurants but that was curtailed by COVID-19 and lockdown. Career progression was also put on hold but catering manager and supervisor courses will be resumed in October and November, allowing face to face contact with students and the opportunity to promote membership of the Institute. “The deal Jenny has negotiated is very good; she has done a fantastic job,” says Wilson-White, whose background is in hospitality. He is a protagonist of inviting civilians in the sector to talk to students, and this will resume as part of a wider will to prepare forces catering staff for civilian life in hospitality. The offer was launched on Friday, July 17, 2020, which marks the anniversary of the day Arthur Edwin Simms, a pioneer of army catering and catering education in the UK, was asked to cater for the Potsdam Conference for Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin on July 17, 1945. “We want them to be proud of who they are and of the legacy of those that have gone before them,” says Jenny Naylor.

This news post was just one of the many articles featured in the latest HQ Magazine. You can access your copy here or via our app IoH Connect.