New skills open doors for hospo students

New skills open doors for NorthTec hospitality students

Students on this semester’s level 2 Hospitality and Tourism Skills programme at NorthTec are on a mission to convert their new skills into job opportunities. NorthTec tutor and chef Shane Paraone says that many of the students intend to use the programme to secure jobs in the region with at least one student hoping to set up her own hospitality business.

The 15-week programme first ran at NorthTec in 2008 under well-known Whangarei café owner Shane Williamson and was revived this year with a full intake for semester 1. “It’s a great way for people to enhance their chances of finding part-time work and is very portable qualification for those students who want to have a way of financing their OE,” said Shane.

“People with their skill set will be in high demand during the upcoming Rugby World Cup. They will certainly be well-placed to make the most of the opportunities that will be available then.”

Students on the programme learn about the day-to-day running of a café and food safety and receive barista training. They also sit their License Controller Qualification (LCQ) , an important step towards becoming a bar manager.

“They’re assessed on their ability to prepare café-style food and on their customer service skills. They also learn how to work a till and reconcile a cash float.”

Leeann Tancred first worked in the hospitality industry when she was a teenager before working in the corporate world. She’s now returned to her first passion and is enjoying learning new skills.

“I felt I was too mature to go into a café/restaurant /bar and expect on the job training, so it was up to me to be proactive and pay to learn these skills myself. This programme has allowed me to obtain some important skills and tick some boxes that I need to tick before finding work in the industry.”

Coming back into study mode hasn’t been without its challenges but the approach taken by the tutors on the programme has really helped. “They speak to me as if I am on the same level as them and not as a student. I definitely feel respected by them.”

Leeann has been really pleased with her results and is looking forward to putting her learning into practise. “I’ve passed everything 100%...I’m not here to do re-sits!”

18-year old Whangarei student Jamie Cheetham also sees the programme as a means to a future career – in her case she hopes to get work on a cruise ship. “I see it as a pathway.”

Jamie loves the programme, despite some unexpected challenges. “The hardest part is learning how to make coffees...I’ve got better at it though.”

Having a routine to stick to is good discipline, she says, with students attending classes from 9am-3pm, four days a week. Jamie’s waiting to here if her cruise ship job application is successful. “I really want to travel and I can take the skill that I am learning here anywhere.”

Now that the 15-week programme is nearly over tutor Shane Paraone is able to reflect on how much the students have learnt and developed. “Some of them have really come a long way. When they started you couldn’t get boo out of the some of the students, let alone see them talking to customers. They’re now doing really well. Now that we have helped them to build up their confidence we can really see them starting to excel.”

Enrolments are open for the semester 2 intake on the level 2 Hospitality and Tourism Skills programme at NorthTec which begins in July.

ENDS

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