The Belfry Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield has opened The Chef Academy, a fully funded programme developing the technical, leadership and commercial skills of chefs with live positions at every level of its kitchens. The resort is positioning it as a response to the chef shortage, rather than a single entry-level scheme.

Delivered with HIT Training, the programme combines on-the-job experience, in-person and online workshops and self-directed study, with paid hours ring-fenced every week for skills development. Sessions include Future Food: Cooking for the Climate and Kitchen Intelligence: Branding & Budgeting.

The academy is led by Robert Bates, who moves from executive chef to the newly created role of culinary director with responsibility for culinary strategy, food innovation, commercial performance and long-term talent development. Dean Cole, who joined in 2011, becomes executive head chef, and the resort is separately recruiting a resort head chef.

The Belfry, a 550-acre resort in Sutton Coldfield with more than 450 rooms and three golf courses, was acquired by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Cedar Capital Partners in 2021 and has since completed an £80 million expansion that added 149 bedrooms and an 852 square metre events space. It was named Hotel of the Year – Independent at the 2026 Cateys after hiring more than 250 staff to support the expansion.

The structural driver is the cost of inefficient training in hospitality, where a 6.2% skills density deficit is estimated to cost businesses £55 million a year, pushing employers toward structured, in-kitchen development.

Matt Robsinson, chief commercial officer at HIT Training, said: “Tackling the chef shortage takes more than filling vacancies.” He added that HIT’s specialist chef trainers, hands-on masterclasses and ongoing support combine with The Belfry’s kitchen experience.

Robert Bates said the academy is about “passing on knowledge” and building a culture where chefs feel valued, and told applicants to “bring commitment and curiosity.”

For the sector, the Academy confirms that hotel operators are building structured, multi-level chef pipelines with specialist training partners rather than relying on single-grade recruitment.

Source: greaterbirminghamchambers.com / thecaterer.com