SERC student Grace Dugan, who has just completed a Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) in Culinary Arts, is rounding off a successful year with progression to the role of head pastry chef at the Culloden Estate and Spa, Holywood.
Grace will graduate with a foundation degree which she achieved whilst working at the five-star hotel, first as chef de partie and then as junior sous chef. She says learning at SERC set her up well to realise her career ambitions:
“I left grammar school after my GCSEs and visited SERC; I was impressed by SERC Bangor Campus and especially the enthusiasm of the staff. When I visited, I expected to meet one tutor but the whole teaching team came to meet me and show me the kitchens and explain the courses available. And the facilities are good – they have everything, all the equipment we could ever need.”
Grace enrolled at SERC on a Level 3 Diploma in Patisserie and Confectionery. While she was enjoying that course, she then learnt about the opportunity to progress to higher education alongside a paid job through the HLA programme. Grace says,
“I like the HLA. It goes beyond technical skills to include business and management. We did a unit on finance, which will be useful as in my new role, I’ll be costing menus and so on.
“We have a small class, so on college days we get one-to-one time with tutors and the tutors know what we are all doing at work, and the learning is tailored to what each person needs in their particular role.
“When I was promoted to the junior sous chef role at the Culloden, I had to manage a team of people and that was new to me. At college, we were looking at how to motivate people, and different leadership styles. I use that every day at work! I had to grow in confidence quickly – the chefs working under me were mainly older than me and male so that was a bit of a challenge! It’s fine, but I learnt that you have to take the time to get to know how everyone works. The tutors at SERC were great in supporting me to become more confident.”
Grace has also been building her confidence through taking part in skills competitions, which is very much encouraged and supported as part of the learning experience at SERC.
She says, “This is one of the best parts of being at SERC for me – you get a chance to use everything you’ve been learning and see where you are compared to everyone else. Early on I was part of the college team which won the Royal Navy Cook and Serve competition, and one of the judges is now the executive chef who employs me – so taking part definitely stood me in good stead.”
Grace took a bronze medal in the Irish Food Exhibition (IFEX) this year, and won a UK Eat Wild Young Chef contest, where the prize included work experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London.
She concludes, “I grew up on a farm and studied home economics at school, so feeding people has always been central to my life. At school they were trying to push me down the A-level route but I was determined to find a way to pursue my own ambitions – and coming to SERC has definitely prepared me well for the next stage in my career.”
