Serving Up Opportunity

As The Great British Bake-Off returns, some viewers may question their own culinary skills. For some young people, developing skills in the kitchen can be about more than baking the perfect coffee and walnut cake but a route into employment and greater independence. 

Ravenswood, an independent Jewish charity supporting young people with learning difficulties and their families, recognised the strong work ethic and commitment these young people could bring to the catering industry. where staff turnover can be high. 

The educational department of Ravenswood had a straightforward aim: to help young people with learning difficulties move into part-time or full-time employment or continue their education and training at college. 

To achieve this, they created a training scheme known as the Deli Training Scheme in 1982. The scheme was aimed at young people aged between 16-23. Admission was by recommendation, and although Ravenswood had its roots in the Jewish community, the scheme was open to people from all cultural and religious backgrounds. 

Learning by doing 

What made the Deli Training Scheme particularly unique, especially for the time, was its strong emphasis on hands-on experience. Trainees worked in a real canteen environment, preparing and serving pescatarian food, including soups, salads, main meals, and desserts. 

Students also received off-site training in literacy, numeracy, diet and nutrition, budgeting, computing, social skills, life skills, health and hygiene, first aid etc. At the end of the 2-year course, students received the coveted Deli’s leaving certificate, a City & Guilds profile of achievement certificate (units towards the Level 1 in NVQ in Catering & Hospitality), and a St Johns Ambulance certificate. 

In addition to the canteen, they were also offered work placements in the community. After completing the programme, they received 12 months of support and advice to help them find employment through a dedicated Aftercare Service. They could also become part of a Leavers Club. 

The Deli sites 

The scheme’s success is reflected in its expansion to three sites. The first, Deli 1, was located at the Sternberg Centre on East End Road, Finchley. It operated from two, apparently rather cramped, portacabins in the grounds of the Manor House, where it ran as a serving canteen for the Centre’s community and members of the public two days a week. 

The records then reveal the launch of ‘Deli Goes West’ around 1989 at the West London Synagogue on Upper Berkeley Street, Marble Arch. This second site offered a different setting and model, operating as a table-service restaurant. 

The third site, Deli 3, was a purpose-built facility at the Kennedy Leigh Centre in Hendon. Opening in July 1991, it operated as a self-service canteen and represented a further development of the scheme. 

Training to employment 

Press cuttings and programmes suggest that the scheme achieved encouraging results in helping trainees into employment. In June 1989, it was reported that 90% of trainees went directly into suitable full-time employment. The records from the 1996 programme provide further evidence of its impact, recording 30 students who had progressed into employment or further training. 

The Deli Training Scheme shows how, with practical training and continued support, young people with learning difficulties were given the opportunity to build skills, confidence and greater independence. 

Jewish Chronicle 28 February 1997, D/EX22806/12/1/3