We caught up with Nick Vadis, Culinary Director for Compass Group UK & Ireland and Chef Ambassador to the NHS supply chain. He has worked at Compass for over 20 years and tells HRC about the opportunities available within Compass and the company's emphasis on developing talent.

With such great experience, something must have kept you in the industry for so long.

This industry is a great place to be, and Compass has so many amazing opportunities. We are part of a global company, we work across sectors, we have fantastic partnerships and people, plus we're growing. Without our people, we couldn’t operate, so as a company we are committed to investing in our talent and offering everyone opportunities to thrive and develop.

The industry is ever changing and I think the innovation we see is exciting. I personally am really passionate about developing menus that are sustainable and help us on our way to our Climate Net Zero Commitment by 2030. With 80% of Compass' carbon footprint attributable to food, chefs are crucial to this agenda and can collectively make a massive impact.

You talk about opportunities that are available; what do they look like and are they for everyone?

This industry has given me lots of unique opportunities and we have so many examples of individuals who have joined and progressed, carving out amazing careers for themselves.

The bulk of our business is providing nutritious, delicious meals to everyone from soldiers, sailors, workplaces, hospitals, schools, leading sports stadiums, University students and so many more. There's enough diversity within that to move around our business to different sectors. Importantly it also gives our people opportunities, flexibility and learnings from across the industry.

Last year, Compass launched Our Social Promise, an ambition to positively impact one million lives by 2030, from both within and outside the organisation through job creation, education, training, community, and charitable engagement. Part of this strategy includes the development of our people, maximising training opportunities from apprenticeships, mentoring, our graduate scheme, and internal Career Pathways platform.

We’ve just celebrated National Apprenticeship Week and this was an opportunity for us to shout about just some of the progression and learning opportunities within our business. It was great to see a spotlight on these team members.

What happens if a prospective employee doesn’t have a career path mapped out, will Compass support them?

100%. If you are interested in food but may not have an exact career path mapped out in finer detail, that shouldn't stop people investigating this industry and Compass to find out more about the careers it offers or learning about its latest initiatives.

If you've got the energy, the passion and the drive, you can go anywhere! We are all about hiring the person, someone with potential who can learn and train on the job. I can vouch for what a great industry we are to join!

For more information visit www.compass-group.co.uk