Compass Group UK & Ireland says it is ‘the first company in the industry looking to tackle the shortage in female chefs’ – through the launch of its ‘Women in Food’ Programme – and has committed to have female chefs form 50% of its workforce by 2020
With approximately 60,000 employees overall, the food services firm currently employs 4,393 chefs, of which 35% are female; this ‘already exceeds the industry average of 18.5%’.
The company said: “Inflexible and long working hours in the traditional restaurant sector have made it a challenging career choice for women wishing to juggle a family life. However, contract catering offers an alternative, with the ability to work shifts in a variety of fields, from healthcare to business.”
Compass says it will make an investment in learning and development for female chefs that currently work for it, and new recruits. It will also be reviewing working practices, to identify areas where shift work and flexible working hours can be introduced, and further enhanced opportunities for development – ‘from entry level through to senior roles’.
To launch the ‘Women in Food’ initiative, the company hosted an event on 19 April in London which was attended by senior female chefs from within and outside the company. Key speakers included leading female chefs, Sabrina Ghayour, Prue Leith, and Emily Roux, pictured left to right, centre, with Dennis Hogan, MD, Compass Group UK & Ireland, and, far right, Fiona Ryland, HR director.
