SA hospitality gets industry boost through chef training programme

The National Youth Chefs Training Programme (NYCTP) forms a part of the broader objectives of the National Tourism Sector Strategy to address skills shortages in the hospitality and tourism industry by capacitating unemployed youth and graduates.

Learners participated in a 10-month training course with the South African Chefs Association that comprised of 30% theory, and 70% work-integrated learning (Industry placement). Four hundred and eighty-eight (488) learners from the across the country will graduate as Chefs and receive certificates accredited

A total of 488 learners from across the country will graduate as chefs and receive certification accredited by the City and Guilds. These include a Certificate in Food preparation and cooking, a Diploma in Food and cookery, as well as a Diploma in Patisserie (Pastry) in food preparation and cooking.

"It is important for us to acknowledge what the government is doing to fight unemployment in our country. This is why our department launched the NYCTP which forms part of our broader objective of our National Tourism Sector Strategy, to address skills shortages in the hospitality and tourism sector by capacitating unemployed youth graduates", said Elizabeth Thabethe, Deputy Minister of Tourism.

Rebooting SA’s economy

Emphasising government’s initiatives to create employment, Thabethe highlighted the Job Summit, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, that is currently underway in Midrand, Gauteng, which aims to create 275,000 jobs per year. The summit produced a framework agreement with details interventions that will help reboot the economy.

Encouraging graduates, Thabethe emphasised the importance of chefs in the tourism and hospitality sectors. "You are the face of the country and are among the people that serve our tourists when they visit South Africa, please help us sell our country well."

In her welcoming remarks, the Deputy Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality Fawza Peer pleaded with the learners not to drop out of programmes that the government puts in place in order to fight poverty.

The partnership that the department has with SACA, without which Thabethe said the implementation of this programme would not be possible was acknowledged. Also acknowledged were the host employers who offer the learners practical training, which counts for the majority of this programme.