Under-24s can now join Academy Food & Wine Service for £25

Young people working in the hospitality industry can now join the Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) for just £25 a year, in a new under-24 membership category.

The news comes as the BBC television programme Michel Roux's Service, which shows Michel Roux Jr helping to train eight beginners in high-end service, is repeated on BBC Two, having been originally broadcast in 2011.

The series winners were guided towards their first steps into the industry and won service scholarships provided by the AFWS.

The AFWS, the UK's professional organisation for front of house employees, has revised its membership structure. There is now a new category for under 24-year-olds who have worked in the sector for at least one year, or who have been registered on a full time university or college course or accredited apprenticeship.

For £25, eligible employees can join the UK Guild of Restaurant Service, which gives access to competitions such as the Moet UK Sommelier of the Year award and the UK Restaurant manager of the Year competition. It also allows access to the online training course Licence to Work, as well as talks, classes and mentoring programmes with top industry figures.

In comparison, a full membership for professionals with two or more years' experience usually costs £85 per year.
AFWS executive director John Croft said: "We recognise that it's important to offer a category of membership to young professionals.

"It's important that young people entering the sector have access to a professional body that can help them develop and progress, as well as offering them a networking opportunity with other industry professionals and those at the top of the business."

Academy of Food & Wine Service to raise profile of front-of-house vocational qualifications >>