Sufra Food Academy Programme

As part of our outreach within the community, we supported Sufra NW London, a community hub that provides a life-line for people in crisis, including families in extreme poverty and people who are vulnerable, homeless or socially isolated, with their 4 Week Food Academy programme for adults, 18+.  The aim of the Programme is to give its participants an insight into the catering Industry. UP supported the programme by delivering sessions in ‘Goal setting’, ‘Interview techniques’, ‘Insight into industry visits’, ‘Understanding the Catering Industry’ and work experience. We are still supporting the participants since the programme has finished with 1:1 CV support and job searching.  The UP team had a wonderful experience of working with such a great organisation and worthwhile programme. We really got an understanding of the local community and it was a pleasure to be able to support Sufra. We received excellent feedback from both the participants and Sufra, with 100% of the participants saying that UP helped them develop their confidence. Rajesh Makwana from Sufra said of his experience of working with UP…

“Unlocking Potential’s (UP) involvement in the delivery of Sufra NW London’s Food Academy Plus (FAP) employability programme has been exemplary from the start. Their dedicated team delivered the pre-agreed modules very professionally, whilst ensuring that content remained accessible and engaging to everyone – regardless of their ability. The 11 participants had all experienced long-term unemployment and many face multiple barriers to achieving financial stability and independence. Nonetheless, all participants expressed how highly they valued the modules delivered by UP – especially the goal setting session and the various field trips that were organised. In particular, participants found the visit to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant very inspirational. According to the feedback we received, the UP team made everyone feel very much at ease and did a great job in creating a sense of comradery among participants – the additional support Ibrahim provided Chef Cassie was also welcomed. We only received very positive feedback about the team who, by all accounts, will be sorely missed by participants. From Sufra NW London’s perspective, UP went far beyond the call of duty, providing an exceptional level of support both during and after the course, as they continue working towards finding employment opportunities for participants. Operationally, the team have been a delight to work with from well before the course began – communicating regularly and professionally about the setup and delivery of the course, and working cooperatively with our staff to address any concerns or issues as soon as they arose. We are very pleased that UP were able to deliver a number of FAP modules and very much look forward to working with them again in the future.”