The Cafe Training Project was established in 1997 and was formed to provide education, training and work experience in a catering and hospitality environment to disadvantaged groups of people within Edinburgh.

The Café provide a cafe facility to the local community and 8 other core projects in The Broomhouse Centre.

The Cafe Training Project provides tailored training, development and social support to a team of trainees and volunteers. 

Trainee Placements

The Café Training Project provides trainee placements for people who would like to gain work experience and catering skills in a work environment.  Trainee placements are between 6 months and a year.

The Café Training Project offers training opportunities to:

• Adults with learning difficulties
• Prisoner’s
• Long term unemployed
• People with mental health problems
• Older people
• School/college work placements
• New Deal placements
• Young offenders
• Project Scotland

The Skills Accreditation Programme

The Skills Accreditation Programme is a six month training programme that all trainees and volunteers can access and is acccredited through Borders College.

The programme is aimed at vulnerable adults who wish to gain accredited qualifications in a range of subjects including:

• Food hygiene
• Bakery skills
• Cooking skills
• Customer service
• Cash handling

Volunteer Positions

The Café Training Project is regularly looking for volunteers who can help us support vulnerable trainees and who would like to gain work experience within a catering environment. 

Volunteers are trained and supported throughout their time on the project and are also able to access training e.g. REHIS Food Hygiene and The Skills Accreditation programme.  There are also volunteering opportunities with the children’s cooking club. 

Numeracy and Literacy Classes

The café training project works in partnership with community learning /CLAN Edinburgh to deliver adult literacy and numeracy classes to café trainees and to people within the local community. 

The classes are held on Wednesday 1pm-3pm and Friday 11.15am-12.45pm.  There is also an opportunity to learn literacy and numeracy through our garden project held on a Monday 1pm-3pm.