News
ESS, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has supported over 200 schoolchildren through a Junior Chef Academy (JCA) delivered in local communities over the past five years.
A recent Social Return on Investment (SROI) study found the programme positively impacts young people’s lives by building confidence, teaching new skills and increasing awareness of career opportunities, creating £7.25 of social value for every £1 invested.
The JCA is a ten-week course designed to teach children aged between 14 and 16 fundamental cookery skills and how to create dishes using a range of different foods. It culminates in a special graduation event where students showcase their new skills to families, teachers and ESS team members. The JCA is delivered in partnership with Brakes, Britain’s leading foodservice wholesaler.
As part of ESS’s commitment to analyse high impact initiatives using a theory of change model, the SROI process was used to assess the net social value created by the JCA in one academic year. Interviews and surveys were completed by students, parents/carers and ESS chefs delivering the programme.
The findings showed a positive impact on all stakeholders. Participants reported increased confidence in their abilities, increased pride in their cooking skills, improved ability to speak up in a group, enhanced relationship building capabilities and greater understanding of career options. Parents/carers experienced pride in their child’s achievements and improved relationships with their children, while the chefs described enhanced job satisfaction, improved motivation and development of their leadership skills.
ESS will continue to collect feedback from JCA participants and their families, including follow up evaluations 6-12 months after completion to better understand the long-term impact of the programme.
The JCA was developed by the Compass Group UK & Ireland Apprenticeship Team and is available to all areas of the business. It forms a key part of Compass’ Classroom to Careers strategy, supporting young people into work and helping them understand the opportunities available to them – part of its wider ‘Our Social Promise’. Compass is committed to the continued growth of the programme, scaling further across the country in the future.
Read the report here.
Social Return on Investment gives us a much deeper understanding of the real impact the Junior Chef Academy has beyond the kitchen. While numbers matter, SROI allows us to go further by translating outcomes into insight, capturing the confidence, skills and aspirations young people develop through the programme, alongside the positive ripple effects for parents, carers and the chefs who deliver it. By understanding impact, not just activity, we can make better decisions about how we design, scale and strengthen programmes that genuinely change lives.
The Junior Chef Academy is an extremely impactful initiative, which forms a vital part of our Classroom to Careers strategy. It helps us to teach skills, but also inspire young people, connecting them to the hospitality industry, and showing them the exciting career opportunities it can offer.
We’re incredibly proud to continue to support the Junior Chef Academy. This programme truly reflects our purpose of connecting the world to share food and care for one another—bringing people together, building confidence and opening doors for young people to explore careers in our industry. It’s inspiring to see the impact the academy is having, and we’re delighted to help nurture the next generation of culinary talent.
I just feel better about the future now. School doesn’t make me feel good about myself, but this helps me see that I have things I can do well and things I’ll be able to do after school that I’ll actually be good at.
It gave my son confidence to have the opportunity to do something where his achievements were then celebrated. I’ve not had the money to pay for classes or activities outside of school so the fact this was free to attend, it’s something that would be good to see more of for youngsters.
I witnessed many positive changes in the students, from growing in confidence, to working together with other students, being excited and amazed at the dishes THEY prepare, cook and serve.
