Café Training Scheme

Established in April 2007, The Drill Hall Arts Café provides training opportunities to young people from the most disadvantaged areas of Leith. The project is offering a route into training for those who have not been motivated or had the experience to take up standard catering employment.  out of the blue have ensured that the training has had the necessary rigour without being mundane and soul-destroying. It has provided an accessible and supportive route into work for young people who were not ready for the mainstream job market due to their lack of qualifications and other circumstances, and whom other employers were unlikely to employ.

The training encourages the gaining of skills, confidence and experience to enter employment or further education. The project has been developed in partnership with The Port of Leith Housing Association through the Training Opportunities in Leith programme (TOIL), which helps young people into work placements mainly in the construction industry. By widening their remit to include hospitality, POLHA has been supporting our café training programme for the past two and a half years.

Please click here to read interviews and quotes from our café trainees.