Young chefs receive vital first aid training

St John Ambulance has joined forces with the renowned Fifteen charity inspired by Jamie Oliver. The aim is to give emerging young chefs the opportunity to be trained in high quality restaurant-specific health, safety and first aid skills.

St John Ambulance London (Prince of Wales's) District is providing the training to the Fifteen Foundation, which was set up in 2002 by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as a way of giving disadvantaged youngsters the chance to gain professional training.

There are now four Fifteen restaurants in the UK, Australia and Holland. Fifteen London is 100 per cent owned by a registered charity with Jamie Oliver as one of the Trustees.

St John Ambulance London runs a first aid course specifically for restaurants and hotels which provides attendees with the knowledge and confidence to deal with first aid issues likely to occur in a pressurised restaurant environment - everything from burns and scalds to wounds, choking and anaphylactic shock. The course also equips chefs and kitchen workers with a better awareness of health, safety and hygiene issues in the restaurant workplace.

Sarah Duquesne, HR manager for Fifteen London, said, "St John Ambulance London provided our apprentices with the essential first aid training which is an integral part of their induction.

"The St John Ambulance London team were informative, professional and a lot of fun when delivering the session to our young people and engaged them really well throughout the delivery of the course. They were so good that we now use them to deliver first aid training to the rest of the Fifteen staff."

Specifically designed to accommodate those working in even the busiest of kitchens, the course lasts just one day but provides all attendees with a first aid certificate valid for three years.