Efforts to bridge the skills gap and encourage job creation in the hospitality industry have yielded fruit, as the class of the 2011 National Youth Chefs Training programme graduated at the Cape Town Hotel School, in the Western Cape today, Thursday, 1 March 2011.
Congratulating the graduates, the Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, remarked that through this great private-public partnership and the enthusiasm of the learners, a positive impact will be made in the industry as well as in the individual lives of the learners and their communities. “These graduates will not only be in a position to find jobs or create their own through opening their own establishments, but they have entered into a life-long career for which they have demonstrated a passion for. “
The National Department of Tourism (NDT) in conjunction with the South African Chefs Association (SACA) launched the pilot project last year with the aim of achieving the following objectives:
- To address scarce and critical skills in the hospitality sub-sector as reflected in the Tourism Skills Audit Report of 2007;
- To provide the hospitality industry with the much needed chef/cookery skills in response to the demand;
- To provide unemployed youth with skills and enable them to take up employment opportunities available in the hospitality industry;
- To contribute to poverty alleviation through payment of a stipend to the learners whilst capacitating them with skills that increase their employability
About eight hundred (800) unemployed youth between the ages of 18 to 35 years old were selected to participate in the pilot project which was implemented in all nine provinces. The beneficiaries were trained in the National Certificate of Professional Cookery National Qualifications Framework (NQF) 3 which consisted of 145 credits. The qualification is recognised by all cookery and food related sectors, from small restaurants to large scale hotels.
To date almost a hundred of the learners have secured permanent jobs and the remainder’s names will be submitted to a database that will encourage placements by potential employers. Three hundred (300) of the best achieving learners continue with the National Certificate: Professional Cookery course (NQF4). The pilot project was funded by the NDT through its budget for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) initiatives.
One student of note, Mr Kagisho Nobengula of the Northern Cape, joins us today as a testament to the success of this programme. He was part of the pilot intake last year and has subsequently won the Knorr “sauce of inspiration” competition. He impressed the judges with his personal story of what motivated him to want to become a chef. Indeed, he is a true inspiration!
The Minister also announced the second phase of the project which will see five hundred (500) new entrants recruited and selected. The funding for this phase will see the National department of Tourism investing a further R40 million.
“This programme is aligned with the new growth path, which sees tourism as an integral pillar of our economy, and gives expression to a number of objectives. It is aimed at job creation, which is a key priority for government and the industry, training and skills development, youth development and government and industry partnership” Minister Van Schalkwyk concluded.
For more information, please contact:
Melene Rossouw
Ministry of Tourism
Cell: 082 753 7107
E-mail: mrossouw@tourism.gov.za
Natasha Rockman
National Department of Tourism
Cell: 076 429 2264
Tel: 021 465 7240
E-mail: nrockman@tourism.gov.za
Trevor Bloem
Cell: 082 771 6729
Tel: 012 444 6607
E-mail: tbloem@tourism.gov.za
Mpumi Simelane
Cell: 082 354 1510
Tel: 021 444 6612
E-mail: msimelane@tourism.gov.za
