In Brief

Prime cuts from Brakes
Catering supplier Brakes has launched a specialist meat company, Prime Meats, offering a range of cuts, joints and ready-prepared chilled meat and poultry procured from around the UK and abroad.

British cuts will include Scottish beef and Welsh lamb plus pork and poultry, many of which will carry the Little Red Tractor logo that signifies food produced under British farm assurance standards. Chilled meats will also be imported from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

Skills programme backed Skills4Industry, the training and employment programme for promising but disadvantaged 16- to 18-year-olds, has won £500,000 of government funding to develop new courses in hospitality and public sector administration.

Students will benefit from full-time training in college followed by a six-month job placement. The hospitality course will be piloted in up to five locations in September 2005.

Deloitte, which heads the programme, is seeking sponsorship from major hospitality groups that can help develop the course and provide placements. For more details visit www.skills4industry.org or contact Richard Stone on 020 7303 7149.