Patricia de Lille honours graduates in Hermanus

Source: Pexels

This ceremony saw 50 graduates added to the tourism and hospitality talent pool in the Western Cape.

The Food Safety Quality Assurers training programme provides for technical skills in food preservation within the hospitality and tourism sector.

This skills programme is recognised by all cookery or food-related sectors in South Africa, from small restaurants to large-scale hotels. This programme also provides training on norms and standards for safe tourism operations, including Covid-19 protocols, and targeting the retrenched and unemployed youth.

The department entered into an agreement with The Tourism Business Institute in Southern Africa (TTBISA) to manage training in Western Cape Province, and to expose the learners in relevant hospitality establishments to experiential learning. The programme consists of 30% theory and 70% practical training, and is accredited with FoodBev setas.

During training, the beneficiaries were introduced to different skills programmes related to food safety and quality assurance.

The department implements various youth skills-development programmes in line with the National Tourism Strategy to strategically support the tourism sector's developmental objectives.

These skills programmes have seen young people from across the country benefit from accredited skills training and being placed in work opportunities in tourism establishments.

Investing in young people to be a part of our vibrant tourism sector is a key priority for the department, said de Lille.

In the 2022/2023 financial year more than 2,500 learners were enrolled in the various skills-development programmes including: food and beverage training, chef/professional cookery, food safety quality assurance, wine service training and hospitality youth training (fast food services).

More than R69m was invested in the skills-development training for young people from across the country.