The day you were born you were given many gifts. One such gift is the gift of ‘free will’. What you do with opportunities presented to you, like for instance, being offered the opportunity to study here – depends on you. The sky is the limit.
My message of hope to you is to take every opportunity presented to you – or someone else will,” said Councillor Liza Stroebel during her keynote address at the Cater Care Certificate handover ceremony which took place on 12 July 2019 in George.
It was a chest-cramming task to single out 15 learners from a list of 37 hopeful applicants for a three-month course Cater Care Course that started on 4 March and ended on 31 May 2019. Garden Route District Municipality fully funded the course of R300 000.00, while the Francois Ferreira Academy was responsible for equipping the humble group from the Garden Route youth (18 – 35 years of age) with various hospitality and culinary skills.
GRDM has been responsible for the coordination and the mobilising of trainees through a formal recruitment and selection process for nearly 10 years.
The selection criteria of learners encompass the following:
- Youth between the ages of 18 and 35;
- They must be unemployed;
- Should have completed Grade 12;
- Showcase eagerness to make the hospitality industry a career; and
- Live in the Garden Route District.
The Cater Care Course is underpinned by not only basic food preparation, but also life skills, such as: personal money management; entrepreneurship, conflict handling, personal hygiene, applying for a job, team work and writing a curriculum vitae. The training is seen as the first step for aspiring chefs to a sustainable career in the hospitality and culinary industry.
FFA subsequently applied and secured additional funding from a Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority Discretionary Grant and was awarded funding for an “Assistant Chef Skills” programme. A total of 30 learners will benefit from this training, which will include the 15 learners who completed their Level 1 Skills in Basic Food Preparation and Basic Service Skills. The “Assistant Chef” course has already commenced and will continue until the end of August 2019.
During his opening remarks at the Certificate Ceremony which was held on 12 July 2019, Chef Francois Ferreira, Francois Ferreira Academy Principal, said: “It was a joy to teach a group with such enthusiasm and willingness to absorb information.” He also commended the group for their “collective attitude as a team” which has set them apart from previous groups. “You have set the bar for future cater care students – each and every one of you have excelled,” said Chef Francois.
This course is also seen as an essential component of GRDM’s efforts to see youth develop. A consequence of saddening statistics that indicate that the Garden Route District has the highest levels of youth unemployment amongst districts within the Western Cape. Youth are under-represented among the employed segment of Garden Routers.
The Municipal Structures Act 117 of 2000, Section 84(1)(m) reads: “Division of functions and powers between district and local municipalities:
(1) A district municipality has the following functions and powers:
(m) Promotion of local tourism for the area of the district municipality”.
Students who successfully completed a 3-month Cater Care course (fltr), are: Sandiswa Booysen, Kyle Titus, Jessica Kalse, Sindile Malobola, Markus Pretorius, Asanele Magama, David Griffiths, Samkelo Krishe, Jabes Honne, Patricia Khumalo, Ronaldo Booysen, Pheliswa Salman and Jackson Lencoe.
