Abigail Holden

In three years Abigail Holden has progressed from Sixth Form 'drop out' to a highly qualified and motivated member of the hospitality industry. After making the decision to leave school and turn her part time waitress job into a career, she completed an Apprenticeship and an Advanced Apprenticeship in Retail Commercial Enterprise - Hospitality and Catering in just two years. Along the way she completed many other hospitality-based qualifications and is now successfully working towards a Foundation Degree in Hospitality Management whilst still working full time. She began her career, six years ago, as a shy 14-year-old waitress, the only one at Tapenades Restaurant, Liskeard, Cornwall. Now manager of the restaurant, her responsibilities include day to day running of Tapenades and its team of four staff, promoting the outside catering side of the business, recruiting and training new staff as well as managing the training of existing staff and taking responsibility for the restaurant's health and safety. She is described as a student with outstanding drive, enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge who stands out from the rest and whose employers say how instrumental she is to their business's success. Abigail describes her Apprenticeship experience as opening up a whole new world of opportunities that are responsible for her success today.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• NAS
• Apprenticeships
• South West
• Awards 2010