A FORMER award-winning chef has built a training company up from nothing and landed two major contracts.

Managing director Simon Foster founded the Education Training Partnership (ETP) in 2007 after borrowing £2,000 from his family.

His firm has recently moved in to Mere Hall Cottages in Brownlow Fold and has become a partner organisation to Greater Manchester Community and Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO).

ETP has also been selected to take part in the pilot round of a new Big Lottery programme called Greater Manchester Talent Match.

This has allowed the firm to become a host organisation for a Talent Match coach and work with 18 to 24-year-old clients who have found themselves out of reach of the labour market.

ETP has also partnering the Partemps People Development Group (PPDG) based in Manchester, winning a bid which allow it to assist young people in gaining employment.

Mr Foster, aged 45, said: “Since we have opened we have supported more than 1,000 young people who were in danger of becoming disaffected with full-time education by providing an alternative curriculum service to secondary schools.

“We provide one-to-one mentoring services and also carefully managed long-term work experience placements.

“We also work with most schools in Bolton as an education business link organisation and inspect industrial environments to ensure they are safe place for school children to carry out work experience in key stage 4 and we have very strong links with local employers.”

Mr Foster, who is Bolton born, but went to school in Somerset before returning to the town, readily admits he empathises with the youngsters he helps.

“I would have been one of those kids, when I was growing up,” he said. “I left school in 1986 with a CSE in biology.

“I initially trained as a cook in Somerset before moving to work at the Pack Horse Hotel in Bolton to complete my training in 1989.

“I went on to become an award winning cook and was part of the team that opened the Bolton Moat House in 1993.

“But I have always had an interest in training an inspiring young people. This culminated in me setting up the company, borrowing £2,000 from my family which I used to get a phone line installed in a room I was given rent free for the first year.

“I worked for six months without being paid and used an old second hand computer, printer and phone.”

ETP was awarded the gold award for the quality of work experience placements it offers to school aged children by assessors Fair Train and have just been awarded the Investors in People certificate for the effective way the company is managed and run.