THE HOSPITALITY TEAM at Moray College UHI have been celebrating this week after receiving the ‘Employer Connections’ Award at the annual College Development Network Awards.

For this year the Awards proved to be bigger and better than ever before, recognising the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and learners from throughout Scotland.

Sponsored by Morrison Construction, the Award received by the Moray team focuses on the creative approaches the College use to enhance engagement activity with local employers and to support the ambitions of Developing the Young Workforce.

The Hospitality team established the Hospitality Association Moray (HAM) in September 2016 to support industry by developing a communication network to provide opportunities for effective collaboration.

It has been the aim of the partnership is to create business development opportunities, support skills development by providing bespoke training required by employers and continue to work with the community to bring young people, education and the college closer to industry.

One of the most significant and exciting developments of HAM has been the mentorship programme which matches an employer with the student to work together throughout the duration of the students’ studies. This was introduced to build the students confidence when working in industry and enhance opportunities for progression into employment in the local area.

Alistair Fowlie, Assistant Director at Moray College UHI said: “We are delighted to win this award on behalf of the hospitality team at Moray College UHI and Hospitality Association Moray.

“It’s fantastic to have recognition of the work carried out through HAM over the past year and we are looking forward to continue our partnership with local industry to provide opportunities for our students and the community.”