Johannesburg - The Angela Day Kitchen often gets enquiries from young people wanting to become chefs, but we don’t do professional training.
Recently I visited a chef’s training school in Randburg to find out how aspirant cooks can qualify to work in the hospitality industry.
If you are passionate about cooking and dream of making it your career, the Hospitality Trainers and Associates (HTA) School of Culinary Art can help you. Established in 1999, it offers a range of qualifications.
A two-year diploma course includes a practical component in the kitchens of hotels and restaurants. Often, the experience gained during the course results in the students being offered employment once they qualify. The course costs R49 500 a year and is limited to 18 students.
The three-year in-service apprenticeship programme allows employers to send their employees for training while they continue to work. Students attend classes part time.
There is also an option to do the programme in one year. The institution can also send qualified professionals to train staff on company premises.
The one-year social development programme is aimed at helping students from disadvantaged educational and/or financial backgrounds find employment in the hospitality industry.
This certificate course costs R18 000 for the year and is often the stepping stone to gaining a bursary to attend the two-year diploma course.
Students who don’t have a matric can also gain entrance to this course, says HTA director Stephen Billingham, “as long as they have the desire to succeed and the commitment to see the course through.”
Course head Diane Wood says these students are very dedicated and always willing to go the extra mile.
This is the case with 21-year-old Whandile Hlabisa, who comes from KwaZulu-Natal. Hlabisa is paying for his tuition on a student loan and is so enthusiastic about the course that he regularly assists at national culinary team practices, and takes every opportunity to get extra work experience.
The institute still has vacancies for 2014 and students who are interested can contact HTA at 011 285 0937 or e-mail them at [email protected].
For full course details, see www.htachefschool.co.za - The Star