A group of schoolgirls were given a taste of what life is like in the food business when Subway at Crompton Place shopping centre became a temporary classroom.


Eighteen youngsters from Bolton Muslim Girls’ School got the chance to prepare and bake the bread used to build Subway’s popular sandwiches.


The visit was arranged between the school’s Gifted and Talented Enrichment Officer, Rizwana Adam, and brothers Shuaib, Zubair and Awais Ishaq who hold the franchise for the Crompton Place store which opened just before Christmas, creating six new jobs.    


Rizwana explained that experiencing what goes on behind the scenes at the busy Subway branch was part of the varied programme of enrichment visits which the school prides itself on and gained recognition from the school inspection body Ofsted last year.


She said: “Our intention at the school is to give the girls a wide perspective of what happens in the real world of work so we expand on what they learn in the classroom by fulfilling their potential further through a wide range of enrichment opportunities.


“In the past the girls have been to companies involved in areas such as engineering and science and the particular group we arranged to take to Subway are all very keen on food and its preparation and will be studying this for their GCSEs.


“With the kind assistance of the franchisees, we took along 18 girls from Year 9 who are all aged 13 or 14.
“Before going to the shop we first called in at the Newport Street store where we were shown the various pieces of equipment used to prepare and bake the bread for the sandwiches.
“Later, we went to the shop where the girls were shown how the bread is worked on ready for the baking process.

“They got the chance to handle the bread for themselves, applying the seasoning and getting it ready for the oven. As the baking takes about two hours we arranged for one of the girls to go back to the shop later to pick up the bread they had a hand in making.
“The whole experience was very enjoyable and worthwhile and being able to visit Subway was a fantastic opportunity for the girls.”


One of those involved was 13-year-old Tasneem Badat, who lives in Bolton. She said of the visit: “It was really fun and gave us a great insight into what life in the food business is like.
“I’m very interested in food and am thinking of making it my career when I leave school. One day I’d even like to have my own business.


“I think the enrichment visits that the school arranges for us are very useful for teaching us about the world of work. I’ve been on a few of them now and I believe there are more planned for us.”
Zubair Ishaq of Subway in Crompton Place said: “It was a fantastic morning and we were pleased to welcome the girls and demonstrate to them how the bread is prepared for our sandwiches.
“We did a risk assessment at the start of the day and also told them about the importance of health and safety. 
“Over at our shop in Crompton Place they were given the chance to work with the dough which went into the oven ready for them to pick up later when the bake had finished.

 

Asian Image:

Zubair Ishaq of Subway with from left to right Maryam Khan, Safanah Khan, Maryan Farah and Shumaila Kotwal at the Crompton Place store.


“I also gave them a little test on what they had learned, conducted a question and answer session with them and handed out little goodie bags for them to take away containing some cookies and an information sheet.”


Zubair added: “We believe this sort of enrichment experience is very important and although this was the first one we have done in the Crompton Place shop since opening, we have had similar ones at our shop in Manchester.


“I’ve also been out to give talks to college students and pupils in local primary schools including Oldham Sixth Form College, St Margaret’s Primary School and Manley Park Primary School and we are planning to work again with Bolton Muslim Girls’ School and other local schools in the future.”


The Crompton Place franchise, which is the fifth store for the Ishaq brothers, was officially opened by the Mayor of Bolton, Councillor Colin Shaw, late last year.


Malcolm Angus, Crompton Place Manager, said: “It is terrific to see Zubair and his brothers working so hard to engage with the community which is important to us all at Crompton Place, given our central location in the town.


“You can tell from the feedback from the students that they gained a very valuable insight into the food business and I feel sure this first hand learning will be very valuable to them.”
For more information about Crompton Place go to www.crompton-place.co.uk