Alex Stevenson

Have you ever dreamed about becoming a chef? Have you ever wanted to spend time seeing the world? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then a level 2 Maritime Caterer Apprenticeship could be the perfect way to kickstart an exciting and fulfilling career! This 24-month apprenticeship is designed to provide the apprentice with valuable practical work experience and a range of transferrable skills.

What is a Maritime Caterer?

A maritime caterer works as a member of the hospitality/hotel services department aboard ships and other vessels of all shapes and sizes, ensuring that the passengers and crew receive nutritious, expertly cooked meals whilst aboard. This role is more than just cooking however, a maritime caterer also handles all aspects of kitchen preparation and catering.

The skills required for a maritime caterer as follows:

• Planning a healthy, nutritional diet for the crew and passengers, taking into account various factors such as endurance of produce and the nutritional well being of all aboard the vessel.
• Menu costing, catering accountancy and management of records. It is important that a maritime caterer understands the importance of budgeting and the economy, taking those into account when creating their menu.
• Storeroom preparation and management. Hygienic stock checking and stock rotation to ensure safe working practices for all aboard the vessel.
• Be able to deliver excellent customer service and a willingness to go above and beyond when serving passengers and crew.
• The ability to use manual and electric food preparation and equipment, as well as food preparation machinery correctly and safely. This includes the correct, safe usage of knives and other safety equipment.
• Be able to administer emergency first aid in the event of an accident or incident.
• Understand and use survival techniques while in the water.

On top of the skills listed above, a maritime caterer is required to work as a member of a close knit team, therefore correct and appropriate behaviour is a crucial component of what makes the team work. Consideration for fellow seafarers is a must! Being at sea can mean that emergencies happen, and you must know what to do when a situation occurs. In emergencies, apprentices are expected to follow orders immediately, safely and in a calm manner.

Sounds Great! What do I need to get started?

Unlike more higher level apprenticeships, a level 2 Maritime Catering apprenticeship is more within reach than you might initially realise. Whilst individual employers will determine their own selection criteria and will need to be confident in their chosen applicants character, all an apprentice needs to possess in order to undertake this course are the following:

• Apprentices will need to be able to pass the medical entry requirements as defined in MCA regulations (i.e. the ENG14 Seafarer Medical Certificate) before starting the apprenticeship.
• An ability to work in a multicultural environment, that may be away from home for an extended period of time.

What kind of jobs can a Maritime Caterer apprenticeship help me get?

Once you’ve completed your maritime catering apprenticeship, the world (and sea!) Is your oyster! The skills learned upon this apprenticeship are transferrable and could help you in multiple jobs. Whether you gain your sea legs and choose to go into the cruise industry, or choose to be a landlubber and work as part of a restaurant kitchen, this apprenticeship will give you a fantastic start in the catering industry.

You will be qualified for many positions, such as sous chef, commis chef, and from there you would be subject to the natural progression of a chef in training.

In conclusion.

Apprenticeships are a great way of entering your desired industry, they can lead to full time work as well as offering you a chance to gain valuable qualifications. If you would like to see what other apprenticeships are out there in the UK, the latest information can be found over on our website here.

And for businesses looking to take on a young apprentice, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list for more information about the process of hiring and the costs of doing so. Sign up HERE and make sure you don’t miss out!

Digital marketing isn’t all social media and disconnected emails, in a lot of aspects of digital marketing you’ll need to deal with customers and enquiries directly, so when dealing with customers you’ll need to ensure that you provide excellent customer service. As an apprentice in Digital Marketing, you’ll be exposed to all kinds of new skills and tools that will be used in your day to day work life, but it is very important to remember that you’re marketing to people! Even when creating digital marketing campaigns, the customer needs to be at the forefront and center of every decision you make.

Whether you’re responding to social media enquiries, or creating a targeted email campaign, this post will tell you everything you need to consider to provide excellent customer service. Here are 3 quick top tips to keep your customers happy and provide excellent customer service:

1- Provide excellent customer service by using timely responses:

Firstly, nobody likes being kept waiting for hours for a response! The simplest, most effective way to keep your customers happy and engaged is to respond to enquiries in a timely manner. This will go a very long way to ensuring a good brand reputation, maximising the probability that any enquiry can be resolved in a positive way for both parties. It sounds like a simple answer really! But you’d be surprised to see just how many companies leave potential transactions pending, un-responded to in the comment sections. Responding to these enquiries is the first step to increasing your sales and cultivating a happy, loyal customer base!

However, it is extremely important that your responses cover everything the customer asks. So before you type up a hasty incomplete reply, make sure you’ve answered everything that the customer enquiries about. Take a couple more minutes to carefully re-read over their enquiry and source the answer to their enquiries. This can be the thing that turns an unsatisfied customer into a potential customer!

2- Provide excellent customer service by tailoring your reply to the individual!

There is a fine line between having a blanket social media policy, and coming across like an un-personable robot. While it is important to have consistent policies to ensure a certain level of quality, it is also important that the customer feels like a human has dealt with their enquiry. Certain policies can get in the way of the level of service that a customer receives. Make sure that your policy is adaptable so that every enquiry can be resolved adequately.

Copy/Pasted replies can provide a quick, effective way to communicate an acknowledgement of their initial enquiry. But after that point they can prove to be frustrating and unhelpful to the customer. They can make the customer feel alienated and unimportant. Applying a little bit of a human touch is sometimes all a response needs to leave a customer completely satisfied.

Be proactive with your responses! Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile in order to ensure the best level of customer service possible.

3- Provide excellent customer service by allowing customers to follow up on their enquiry if needed.

For some customers, a simple social media response isn’t enough to satisfy their enquiry. Sometimes a customer would like the opportunity to follow up on their enquiry and take further action to escalate it. In these instances, it is imperative that you give them the opportunity to do so.

A follow up can be anything! From asking for the opportunity to make a purchase (in which case, use an obvious call to action. It’s the perfect way to encourage them to make a purchase.) All the way to wanting to speak to management to make a complaint. So using the appropriate tone in your response is very important.

In conclusion!

Digital Marketing is a fluid, adaptive skill. Being able to tinker with your formula and add a bit of a personal touch can be the difference between a good digital marketer and a bad one. If you apply these 3 tips in every enquiry you receive, then you’ll be sure to have a business that prides itself on providing excellent customer service!

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