Chris Moore joining Compass Group to oversee new training and development academy

Chris Moore is joining Compass Group in January to oversee its new multimillion-pound flagship training and development hub in the West Midlands to train the next generation of hospitality workers.

Moore, who remains in his post as chief executive of the Clink charity until the end of the year and won the 2021 Foodservice Cateys Outstanding Achievement Award has been appointed managing director of the Compass Group Academy, designed to focus on supporting young people from disadvantaged areas build careers in the sector.

Due to open in 2023, it will train people in a range of disciplines, including hospitality, culinary and services, targeting people in the UK's ‘cold spots', the parts of the country with the lowest prospects in education and employment.

The Midlands has some of the UK's highest deprivation gaps between neighbourhoods, according to the Office for National Statistics. Annual outreach events will be held to ensure the academy effectively balances its learning programmes with benefiting the local community.

The academy will aim to train more than 12,000 people a year. As well as training its own employees, a fifth of the academy will be dedicated to outreach. This will include:

• Schools engagement: educating and inspiring students from socio-economically challenged and diverse communities in the West Midlands;
• Working with disadvantaged groups: expanding Compass' work with partner organisations such as the Springboard Charity, the Clink, the Prince's Trust, and National Care Covenant to help people into jobs and careers;
• Attracting young people into the industry: supporting post-Covid initiatives such as traineeships and kickstart programmes by giving the younger generation opportunities to gain the skills they require.

Robin Mills, managing director for Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: "I am delighted to have launched our Compass Group Academy, it is a really important step in our commitment to create opportunity for all, whatever someone's background. Compass is uniquely placed as a business to do this; our reach extends across the country and we have a genuine ability to create opportunities in the places that need them most. Our academy will help address the skills crisis the industry faces but will also help people in the most disadvantaged areas get on that crucial first rung on the ladder."

Moore added: "I can't wait to get started and deliver the new Compass Academy. I have seen first-hand the power that training and upskilling brings to people – it has the ability to change people's lives. Overseeing the creation, development and operation of this centre for excellence is really exciting. This is a hugely ambitious project that will really drive social mobility as well as bring great benefits to the hospitality sector. The social outreach ambitions coupled with learning excellence are what will make the Compass Academy unique."