Developing and delivering Learning Resources based on Welsh Cuisine

Descriptions

1) What we are looking for:•An organisation to develop a learning programme to train chefs in developing and delivering a menu based on traditional Welsh cuisine and locally sourced ingredients. The learning programme will contain interactive materials (such as DVDs) to help chefs acquire the skills and knowledge required. 2) Background•There is a shortage of skilled chefs working in Wales. There are not enough new chefs entering industry to meet the skills challenge. We need to find ways to raise and/or broaden the skills of chefs in work and at college•The Welsh Assembly is placing increasing importance on hotels, restaurants, pubs, etc including traditional Welsh dishes on their menus. This is coupled with a drive to raise awareness of ingredients sourced within Wales.•Along with the Assembly’s ‘push’ there is also ‘pull’ from employers who see the benefits of differentiating their business by offering traditional Welsh food•As this trend continues, there will be an increased need for chefs to understand more about traditional dishes, how to source ingredients, how to prepare and cost menus and how to prepare dishes from scratch.•We are seeking to develop learning resources (in Welsh and English) to support colleges and training providers in training chefs (both new chefs just entering the workplace and existing more experienced chefs seeking to broaden their skills and knowledge). As a ‘spin off benefit’ the materials will also be usable for full time students in education (though this is not the primary aim of the project).3) Our aim•We are seeking to develop a training programme that colleges and training providers deliver to industry (as a commercial product). The programme will be available to all colleges and training providers. The target market (e.g. people likely to buy it) is employers looking to target customers seeking traditional Welsh food. These employers will need their chefs to develop and offer traditional Welsh recipes on their menusPlease note:•The focus of the learning programme to help chefs develop skills and knowledge to source and deliver traditional Welsh recipes. However this is the ‘broad starting point’. The appointed contractor will need to clearly define the target market (e.g. the ‘type’ of business that is most likely to benefit (size, location, etc) and the ‘type’ of chef (e.g. level 2, 3, size of brigade, etc). investigate the precise content of the programme which could include e.g. menu planning, menu costing and pricing, negotiation when buying ingredients or other factors that support the successful development and delivery of a ‘Welsh menu’. •We have no pre-conceived ideas as to:-what the training programme should contain-how it should be delivered (apart from the inclusion of interactive learning resources)-how long it should be-whether it should combine distance learning with face to face delivery (or whether there is scope for both (i) a purely distance learning product and a (ii) separate face to face delivery programmes)Our main requirement at this stage is that the complete programme has the potential to be commercially successful (e.g. employers will buy it! – We realise this will depend on price and we will explore this with the successful contractor during the project. The contractor’s task is to make sure the learning programme is of excellent quality such that if the price is pitched appropriately employers will buy it) and (ii) it can be delivered by all colleges and learning providers in Wales regardless of location.4) Specific objectives for this project•Identify the target audience (establishment and individual) that is most likely to buy the product•Define the content of the learning programme in terms of learning outcomes, curriculum, delivery methods, etc. Do this through research with employers (note: People 1st will establish a group of employers to help steer this project and provide an industry view at each key stage (e.g. development of content, etc)•Develop a learning programme that can be delivered by colleges and training providers and that employers judge to be ‘excellent’ in delivering point 1 above.•Test the programme with employers and amend as appropriate•Develop a sales and marketing plan to support colleges and learning providers in delivering the programme5) Outcome and Impact•Key outcomes are (i) increased opportunity for learning providers to engage employers by promoting and selling this product (and subsequently other products on offer) and (ii) a greater number of employers developing traditional Welsh menus and offering Welsh recipes•The impact of this will be to reinforce the unique ‘Welshness’ of Wales which is a key part of the Visit Wales tourism strategy.6) Outputs•A learning programme including all delivery resources (tutor notes, learner notes or workbook, DVDs, etc) that (i) employers will pay for (at an appropriate price) and (ii) that all colleges or training providers in Wales can deliver to employers7) What we are looking for in the successful applicant to deliver this programmeOur successful contractor will have:•Good contacts with a range of employers who will support this project and take part in demonstrations etc for the DVDs and training materials•Experience of and successful achievement in developing bi-lingual learning programmes for chefs at level 2 and above (ideally including interactive resources such as DVD)•Experience of defining the target market for such programmes; researching and setting an appropriate price; and developing sales and marketing plans (in this case, the plan will how learning providers across Wales will promote and sell to employers).8) BudgetThis project is part of a wider programme of work developed by People 1st and funded through The Welsh Assembly Government's Sector Priorities Fund Pilot. The budget for this particular project is £40,000 including VAT. 9) TimescalesWe expect to appoint a contractor to deliver this project by October 2010. The learning programme will be required by June 201110) If this opportunity is of interest to youPlease cover the following in your proposal (please note the maximum word count in each case.)•(400 words maximum) An outline of what you would propose to produce (e.g. trainer support materials, DVD with step by step guide to produce X different menu dishes etc) for the budget. Please note: we realise that at this stage you have yet to do any detailed research to define the final content of the programme, but we are interested in your views on the format of the programme (e.g. number of modules, length of each module, delivery process, etc)•(200 words maximum) Details of your experience of the four key areas above•(200 words maximum) Costs (please provide a rough breakdown so that we can see where you intend to invest the money. If your tender is successful we will of course revisit these costs with you following initial research etc.•(400 words maximum) Proposed methodology and timescales•(100 words maximum) Why you believe you should be the organisation that takes forward this project (please note the ‘essential criteria’ for selection outlined above and including examples of relevant experience).