Piccolo Bakery credits MK College partnership with finding “amazing” employee

Jo Garvin, co-owner of Piccolo Bakery in Leighton Buzzard, says finding a work placement through MK College has been a huge credit to her business. She is now in the process of arranging a second placement to start early next year.

Jo opened the bakery with her sister three years ago after identifying a need for a takeaway option to complement Café Sorelli next door. They approached MK College as their business grew, and they needed more staff.

She said, “We wanted to explore the option of a work placement, so we spoke to MK College to see if there was anyone on a related course they could recommend. They put forward Jazmin, who was one of their top students.”

Jo explains they approached MK College because of the local links. She said, “We deal with local people, so choosing a provider that was close by was important to us. They understood what we needed and supplied someone who was perfect.”

The bakery sells hand-made croissants, cakes and breads cooked from scratch on-site by their Chef. After the success of her work placement, Jazmin is now a permanent employee there.

Jo explains, “Finding Jazmin was brilliant. She’s been with us for over 18 months and is almost full-time now. It’s been great because she has supported us as our business has grown.”

She adds, “She does nearly everything our Chef does and is so reliable. She has an incredibly grown-up attitude. Her skills are going from strength to strength.”

When asked what advice she would give other employers in a similar situation, Jo said, “I would say taking a student on work placement is definitely worth considering. It’s a really good way of introducing someone to your business without committing to employment. You get to know the person and see how they work. Jazmin is a different class; we would definitely do it again. We are looking at another work placement with MK College to start in January.”

To find out more about working with MK College students, get in touch with the Work Experience Team: workexperienceteam@mkcollege.ac.uk

To find out more about working with MK College students, get in touch with the Work Experience Team: workexperienceteam@mkcollege.ac.uk