Pop-up restaurant in Cork Prison wins university training award for collaboration with MTU

One of Ireland’s newest universities has won a prestigious international award for its involvement in an innovative scheme where prisoners were given culinary training at a pop-up restaurant at Cork Prison to equip them with the skills to obtain employment upon their release from jail.

Munster Technological University (MTU) was a category winner in the European Triple E awards – recognising entrepreneurship and social engagement in higher education – for its pop-up restaurant at Cork Prison which was staffed and run by prisoners earlier this year.

Accepting the award in Barcelona on behalf of MTU and the staff of the pop-up restaurant, Dr Noel Murray, head of department of tourism and hospitality, said The Open-Door Restaurant represented a unique collaboration between several bodies.

The award, he said, was a recognition of that collaborative effort by MTU, the Cork Education and Training Board, Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities and Cork Prison working together to train and educate prisoners to improve and develop their culinary skills.

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“This is a fantastic endorsement of the impact that this initiative has had on the participants, their families and their communities. There has been an incredible effort by so many people. This award recognises this collaborative effort and is testament to the contribution of everyone involved.”

Governor of Cork Prison, Ger Manley, said: “Prison is not about locking the door. It’s about unlocking potential in order to open doors for people upon release. This project enhances the rehabilitative and employment options for all those who work and train here in the years to come.”

This programme, which is co-managed by the Irish Prison Service, Department of Tourism and Hospitality and the access service in MTU, will allow course graduates to progress towards further training, education and employment opportunities in the community, he said.

Speaking earlier this year, William O’Brien, one of the graduates of last year’s programme, said the course had opened a door to new opportunities for him, including a job offer which he was delighted to accept.

“The learning, training, support and accreditation I received allowed me to secure my first ever offer of employment. The last 12 months have been life changing for me and my family with a new job, home and career with a great employer in the community,” he said.

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Prof Irene Sheridan, founder and head of MTU Extended Campus, said that four former prisoners who were involved in running The Open Door restaurant are already working in the culinary arts while two others have been offered jobs in the sector pending their release.

“This is an initiative which demonstrates the role of MTU in supporting change through ensuring access and raising expectations across society as a whole,” said Prof Sheridan, adding MTU was also shortlisted for the Engaged University of the Year and the Education Programme of the Year awards.

MTU, which was formed through the merge of Cork Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Tralee is a multi-campus technological university consisting of six campuses across the southwest region in Cork and Kerry, with a student body of 18,000.