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Move over Jamie Oliver
- helping school drop-outs from hastings to find a career and a future in hospitality
WISE Employment’s Learning and Development Services (LDS) hosted a graduation for 16 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Mornington Peninsula who have completed a hospitality training program that combines training in the classroom with real life work experience.
State Member for Hastings, Rosy Buchanan MP, was the guest speaker, congratulating the students on their achievements.
The young people, all aged between 15-19 years, have all left school before completing Year 10. The training takes the participants through a variety of skills centred on kitchen operations and food processing.
What is different about this training is that it combines training in the classroom with real experience in the Pelican Pantry, a licensed 130 seat café and hospitality and tourism training facility overlooking the Hastings foreshore.
WISE LDS manager, Yakosa Mponda, believes the program is different because it gives these young people a chance to trial a career in hospitality over the course of the training.
“Many of our participants, for a number of reasons, have left school before Year 10, some as early as Year 8 – and they have been unsuccessful in finding or maintaining employment,” she said.
“Often many young people don’t know what they would like to do, so this training exposes them to the world of hospitality,” she said.
“This training helps them to develop real skills in a real workplace.”
Since the training began in July, three of the participants have taken steps to return to school next year. Several others are now looking at apprenticeships in the hospitality industry.
Yakosa believes that even for the participants that have decided not to pursue a career in hospitality the training has been a positive experience.
“It has built up their self-esteem and we have seen their attitude change,” she said.
“They have had a chance to put their skills and knowledge into practice and see that they can succeed.”
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