New Northland programme launched to train hospitality staff

Tony Adcock, chairman of the Restaurant Association Education trust. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A new type of course is under way at NorthTec to train more staff in the stretched hospitality industry.

The official launch of Te Tapu Tahi, which was designed in collaboration with the Restaurant Association, took place at NorthTec's city campus on Monday afternoon.

Tony Adcock, Restaurant Association Education Trust chairman, and Lisette Buckle, pathway manager service industries at NorthTec, signed an official partnership agreement to launch the course.

Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said talks between NorthTec and the association about the course began in 2020, but its implementation became even more important post-pandemic.

"It's more important than ever that we find ways to increase the skill level in our sector and to train the people we already have."

Adcock also said the course was important to ensure hospitality staff for the future, particularly in light of immigration difficulties caused by Covid-19.

"You are never going to have the total immigration like we had before," he told the audience at the launch.

"The number one challenge faced by the industry is finding skilled staff and training the workforce."

He emphasised the importance of employers in training programmes.

"Education has two customers, the student who is a customer and the employer who is a customer," Adcock said.

Buckle said the programme was designed to ensure the students were learning the skills they needed and did not already have.

"There's a whole raft of skills that person has. There's different strokes for different folks."

There was no set length for the course, Buckle said, because of this individual approach.

The qualification covered by the programme is the NZ Certificate in Cookery levels 3 and 4.

The programme's name, Te Tapu Tahi, means "to grow together or simultaneously".

The programme incorporates online learning as well as workplace training and sessions at NorthTec's Raumanga campus.

Buckle said the next step is to ensure a clear path from school and from unemployment into the programme.

"There is one thing we're not quite there with yet and that's building a passage from schools, and from unemployment."

Bidois said the Restaurant Association was looking to expand the programme to other parts of the country but were happy to start in Northland.

"Northland is an incredible part of the country and the NorthTec team and the Restaurant Association are really passionate about this area and that's why we wanted to bring it to Northland first."