Elmstead Market school and coffee brand launch jobs project

Market Field School and College, in Elmstead Market, is joining forces with Paddy & Scott’s to build and co-fund a commercial coffee outlet in West Clacton library.

The facility will offer on-the-job training, career opportunities, and mentoring to young & adults as and when they leave the educational institution.

The joint partnership will exercise entrepreneurial teaching and offer real jobs in the local catering industry, which is struggling to recruit due to the coronavirus fallout.

Paddy & Scott’s founder Scott Russell, who started his career working on Jaywick Market in the late 80s, believes the initiative will make a huge difference.

“The statistics relating to the percentage of young adults securing meaningful employment once leaving school is quite frankly shocking,” he said.

“So, as a business owner I think it is our duty to help do something about this and provide a pathway for future employment.

“Those going through the scheme will learn practical skills, health and safety training and, most importantly, real life customers service training.”

Paddy & Scott’s was founded in 2007 and now operates more than 500 UK coffee shop concessions in hotels, bars, restaurants and trade outlets.

More recently the business, which has also built a school and coffee farm in Kenya, opened cafe in the multi-million pound Colchester Northern Gateway Sport park.

Speaking about how the project with Market Field materialised, Gary Smith, executive head, said: “I was in The Pier in Harwich drinking the nicest coffee I’ve ever had.

“I asked the barman where it came from and it was Paddy & Scott’s, so I called them and then Scott called back and we eventually met.

“He is the kindest most genuine and committed guy you could meet and we now are set to launch the project in January – it is a massively important venture.”