A Friday Chat With Searcys’ Apprentices, Nicholas Dennis and Zhana Koseva

Each year, Searcys is proud to offer an apprentice scheme, nurturing talent among our people and helping develop personal skills within the wider hospitality industry. The recently launched 2022 apprenticeship scheme offers a structured programme of 40+ development journeys within our industry, including front-of-house, hospitality, chefs, managers and support functions – finance, HR and marketing.

Following such a development journey offers a genuine alternative to traditional academic study and has been designed for you to complete on the job, all the while providing learners with a nationally recognised formal qualification! Research has shown that engaging in such a programme improves employee retention and provides excellent progression opportunities.

For a very special edition of our Friday Chat series with Searcys, we sit down this week with two apprentices who are embarking on two different programmes.

Hi Nicholas and Zhana! Could you both tell us a bit about yourselves and your journey with Searcys before you started the apprenticeship?

Nicholas: “I joined Searcys in February 2020 as Deputy General Manager for 30 Euston Square, overseeing the operations in the auditorium and event spaces of up to 300, over 24 contemporary meeting rooms, the rooftop terrace, three examination suites, 41 boutique bedrooms and a café.”

Zhana adds: “I started with Searcys at 30 Euston Square in January 2017. My position there at the time was as a hospitality assistant.”

Could you both tell us what apprenticeships you’re going to do?

Zhana: “I’ve chosen the hospitality manager programme. I have a passion for excellence, and I believe that in hospitality we can make even the mundane into an event for delivery happiness.”

Nicholas on the other hand is embarking on a Senior Leadership plus MBA (CMI) programme. “The courses identified both personal and business transformation targets within leadership and strategic planning which I feel is very important in career development at a senior level,” he says.

Why have you chosen these courses?

Nicholas tells us: “I chose this apprenticeship because I like the fact there was a balanced learning map of virtual academic sessions, flexible online learning, masterclasses with fellow peers in my assign cohort and 1-2-1 coaching over a reasonable time frame for 27 months.”

Zhana adds: “I am looking to build a structure in what is intuitive to me now. I believe further knowledge and recognition of better proficiency will only add to my core competence, values, and philosophy. I am attracted to the diverse core knowledge and skills, I have had experience in and aspire to a higher position of leadership.”

How will the apprenticeship help you in your work and career?

Zhana says: “With an evolution in knowledge through practical learning, I will be able to better apply a more in-depth experience for others who work with me now and in the future.”

Nicholas comments: “The past few years have been tough within the hospitality industry and I believe it has shown more than ever the importance of future leaders within our industry to be more agile and resilient to ensure business stability and continuity. The Senior Leadership plus MBA (CMI) would better help me assess the competitive environment, implement decisions, and better support the team through transitions.”