Newcastle’s very own Dave Doyle, 40, has today been announced as the winner of Stonegate Group’s Apprentice of the Year award.

A proud Geordie and a big fan of the magpies, Doyle won against competition from Stonegate Group’s estate of over 4,500 sites to be crowned the Apprentice of the Year 2024.

Working at the popular Oasis pub in Washington, Doyle began working at the venue in 2014, originally applying for a front of house role but due to his selfless nature, he chose to help cut vegetables in the kitchen one night.

Doyle said: “I was working in a front of house role but on one shift, we were short staffed in the kitchen, so I offered to help out and before I knew it, I was working full time in the kitchen!”

Similar to picking up an instrument as Doyle thrives at playing guitar, drums and piano in the Newcastle music scene, Doyle took to cooking like Hendrix to a guitar! Rising up the ranks in no time.

Starting from scratch, Doyle’s ability to instantly pick up culinary skills immediately caught the eye of management, with the popular Gateshead native being promoted to Head Chef and later, Kitchen Manager.

“I’ve loved working at the Oasis, there is such a good buzz about the place and the relationship we have with our guests is something special. Working in the kitchen has been an amazing experience for me and I’d definitely recommend trying the steak and ale pie!”

At age 38, Doyle wanted to take on a different path in the hospitality industry and applied for a Hospitality Management Level 4 apprenticeship to help him achieve his next role.

However, it was Dave’s manager who spotted his potential before he did…

“I was in York for a menu change day and my manager asked me to sign a piece of paper confirming my attendance on the day, little did I know that it wasn’t to confirm my attendance, but to confirm my place on a Hospitality Management apprenticeship!”

He added: “Once I’d worked out what my manager had done, I had a think and decided to give it a crack – learning skills from scratch served me well in the kitchen and my manager reassured me that he believed that my abilities would be perfect for this apprenticeship and help boost my career.”

Working an apprenticeship in hospitality is a growing career path for young people finishing education as well as people who are looking for a career change with Doyle being a great example of someone who’s benefitted with Stonegate Group recognising his immense achievements.

From August 2023 to April 2024, 278,590 people started an apprenticeship[1], an increase from the previous year, with this number anticipated to continue to grow into 2025.

Doyle continued: “I began working on my Hospitality Supervisor qualification and it was a great experience – it was definitely worth the work! I had to complete a business project, multiple choice exam and a professional discussion with an industry expert and made plenty of new mates along the way.”

After 12 months, Doyle passed with a distinction, which helped him secure his current role as Area Kitchen Manager for the Sunderland region – not bad for someone who originally wanted to work front of house!

Doyle has thrived so much in his apprenticeship that not only does he excel at his own job now, but he spends a lot of time persuading others to take up an apprenticeship.

“I am a self-proclaimed ambassador for apprenticeships and I’m always trying to persuade people I know to take up an apprenticeship at Stonegate Group. With roles available both front of house and back of house nationwide, the perfect time to boost your career with an apprenticeship is now.”

This week saw Doyle’s work impress the judging panel with not just the detail he implemented into his own work, but how he supports the wider team in the Sunderland area and facilitates Stonegate Group’s mission of bringing people together.

“Winning the award is a career highlight for me and has just further motivated me to crack on and continue to help perfect our kitchens in Stonegate Group’s Sunderland area. I hope my story will help others realise their potential within the hospitality industry like I have.”

To find out about the current apprenticeship vacancies at Stonegate Group and begin your apprenticeship journey like Dave Doyle did, please follow the link below.

www.stonegatecareers.co.uk/vacancies

[1] https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships