01 February 2002

Husband and wife team, Steve and Pamela Fisher, are in their third year as owners of the Royal Talbot.

Although this was their first venture as owner/managers of a business in the catering industry, the inn is progressing well and has gained a reputation for providing a wide selection of good, imaginative and wholesome food, and real ales. The business employs six full-time and three part-time staff, which increases to about 12 during the summer season.

Steve Fisher is a strong advocate of training, partly because of his 17 years as a retained fireman, and as an active member of the Scout movement. "I believe employers have a moral responsibility to provide training for all their staff, and I think that a levy should be imposed on those who don't provide training," said Steve. "I also believe that people should be treated fairly and paid the rate for the job they are doing."

"The Modern Apprenticeship programme is totally in line with my philosophy. It is flexible - not too rigid, and as an employer I have input into the training. The initiative allows young people to work in a commerical environment where they can gain knowledge and skills, make progress, be given responsibility, and train for the qualifications they need in their work."

"Apart from advocating a duty to train, as an employer I see that it makes commerical sense. People represent the stability of a business. You can't run a successful operation with unskilled people and a high turnover of staff. That makes managing the business very hard, because so much time has to be spent teaching new people the skills and standards of professionalism you need in the business."

"I recognised Gemma's potential from the start, and decided to keep her on," said Steve. "Within a short period of time, Gemma proved my assessment was correct. She was always interested in the job, wanted to learn, train and take responsibility. Now she has a free hand with full authority to run the kitchen and its four staff. Gemma wants to continue training and I will support her all the way."