ATL FE Conference 2017 Talk
Gary provided an inspirational and informative talk at the ATL FE Conference on how his college skills helped him go on to win the prestigious Masterchef Award. Gary highlighted his belief that food education must be an important part of curriculum’s across the UK. He also highlighted his views on the importance of knowing how to cook.
Speaking at the event, Gary said: “People think Masterchef made me an amazing chef in 6 weeks, in reality I’ve been a chef and lecturer for 30 years”. He also went on to saying: “You don’t have to be the best, just make sure those opportunities work for you”.
The conference theme was ‘skills and expertise’ and also addressed other wider sector issues. Gary spoke at the event alongside Danielle Brown MBE, Paralympian and Women of the Future Award Winner; Richard Atkins, FE Commissioner and David Hughes, CEO of the Association of Colleges.
Gary received amazing feedback through sharing his personal stories and achievements, with one listener saying: “Hearing about the incredible journey @Gmacchef has been on is amazing – 30 years of teaching with passion and humility”. His words resonated with many of the attendees at the event, leaving his own stamp on what was a special day.
The conference meets annually in the week after Easter weekend. The 600 members who make up the conference include ATL’s Executive Committee, together with representatives elected by the branches. The number of representatives each branch can send to the conference depends on how many members it has. There are also opportunities for members to attend as observers. The conference has the power to pass resolutions which the Executive Committee then implements.
The event took place on Thursday 6th of July at the Hilton Doubletree in London.