The future of Dartmouth's unique apprentice restaurant is not at risk – despite the collapse of the London-based charity which launched it more than four years ago.

Training for Life, a charity set up to help the jobless and homeless, has been in administration since the middle of November.

The charity's Barking Apprentice Cafe has shut and its Hoxton Apprentice training restaurant closed in December and was put up for sale. But the Dartmouth operation, which was launched in 2008 at the old St Barnabas Church in Newcomen Road, is still operating – despite the fact it closed for two weeks over the Christmas and New Year period for its usual holidays.

Dartmouth Apprentice manager Nina Stanesby said there was no danger of the operation – which has helped scores of jobless people – being forced to close. She said it was run as a limited company and was trading at a profit.

'We are our own cost centre and we were in profit this year,' she said. 'There are no financial difficulties as an individual trading company.'

She added: 'We are looking at ways of finding what is the right way forward for the Dartmouth Apprentice to make sure that we continue to do the work that we do and that what we do is correct.'

Insolvency experts Mazars, who were appointed as administrators two months ago, confirmed that both the original Training for Life restaurant in Hoxton Square and the Dartmouth Apprentice are still operating.

A spokesman said the Dartmouth Apprentice had been a subsidiary company to Training for Life and was 'not subject to any insolvency'.

Training for Life, Signpost Housing and South Hams Council teamed up for the £900,000 scheme to convert the old church into 10 flats for the long-term homeless plus the attached training restaurant.

The Dartmouth project was the first scheme to be launched by Training for Life outside London.

Training for Life is said to have helped more than 13,000 people into full-time education or employment, and created more than 150 new jobs in its own right over the years.

The future of the charity and its restaurants became increasingly precarious as it fell victim to Government funding cuts.

It was then unable to sell one of its valuable buildings and plunged into administration.

The Dartmouth Apprentice employs six full-time staff and currently has four part-time apprentices.

Ms Stanesby said it was planned to take on between 10 to 20 new apprentices in February or March this year.

She said the restaurant was currently closed for Christmas and New Year which – was usual – but would be reopening next month.

'We are trading but at the moment everyone is having a well-earned break,' she said.