Chester’s newest hotel and restaurant experience, ABode Chester and Michael Caines Dining, is set to provide a major boost to the local economy.

Recently opened, the £multi-million pound development on the site of the old Police headquarters will see as many as 115 permanent jobs created for the restaurant and hotel, along with a number of pool staff to work at the new complex.

ABode has partnered with Jobcentre Plus to create a training and recruitment programme through the Local Employment Partnership (LEP) scheme to help long-term unemployed candidates who want to join Chester’s hospitality industry train up to the skill levels required by a four star venue.

More than 300 people from across the region attended an Open Day in September last year organised by Jobcentre Plus in partnership with ABode to help promote the vacancies and training opportunities. After this Jobcentre Plus also organised two LEP Pre-Employment Training courses in partnership with ABode, Cheshire West and Chester Council and West Cheshire College which were attended by over 30 people.

As a result of the initiative, a number of long term unemployed young people from Chester are among the successful applicants.

Jobcentre Plus Employer Services Operational Manager Jane Sutton said: “The Local Employment Partnerships scheme proved ideal for the business’ needs, providing support in recruitment, interviewing and advertising. The scheme also means that employers can commit to giving people who have been finding it hard to get back in employment a helping hand to make that first step.”

Laura Morgan, Northwest Cluster HR Manager for ABode comments: “Working closely with Jobcentre Plus on this recruitment programme has been really productive as we have been able to engage with people who either may not initially have the skills, or may have low confidence due to being out of employment for some time, to go for these positions.

“A great number of those who attended the courses were very good but unfortunately we didn’t have any suitable roles for them. Now, as they have the additional experience from the courses, I’m sure that they will have the self-belief to go for other relevant local jobs.”

Chris Brown, Chief Executive of Visit Chester & Cheshire comments: “It’s fantastic to see high profile tourism organisations such as ABode taking a genuine interest in nurturing local talent through this training.

“There is a significant need for skills in the region’s visitor economy and these kind of schemes will help us invest in the future prospects of the people of Cheshire.”

Faye Kelly, General Manager of ABode Chester adds: “We have been working closely with other high profile restaurants and hotels around Chester to discuss how we can best retain the skill level within the city. By offering these kind of training opportunities, and a wider range of high quality establishments, we can help to keep the talent in Chester and the North West.”

below: General Manager of ABode Chester, Faye Kelly