Career Training Course Catalog: Hospitality
Instructor: Rock Dandeneau
Address: 72 Sheldon Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: 616-532-4200, Ext.112
E-mail:
rdandeneau@goodwillgr.org
Fax: 616-532-3044
Facility Description:
The Ferguson Apartments are a residential community consisting of a diverse rental population managed by the Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Within this facility, residents are provided affordable housing and services such as a dining meal plan consisting of 3-meals per day/ 7-days a week. The property is located in the heartside district, in downtown Grand Rapids Michigan.
General Description of Training:
Participants will perform daily tasks in the food service industry to build professional behavior and team efficiency. They will also learn food sciences and adaptive workplace skills. The following are topics covered in the class:
Food Sciences
- Safety In The Workplace
- Food Safety
- Sanitation
- Cooking Technologies Garnish, Plate Presentation, and Food Display
Adaptive Workplace Skills
- Safety Standards
- Equipment Usage
- Process Improvement Tools
- Recycling Products
- Proper Receiving and Storage of Inventory
- Menu Development
- Customer Service Skills
Goodwill offers a paid transitional work experience component as part of this training. The rate of pay is $5.15 per hour.
Proposed Length of Course:
The course is a six-week class consisting of 20 hours a week, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The first week is orientation training and adapts the participant to the food service industry. Weeks two through six consist of "hands on" training in a real life setting by preparing products to the residents of the Ferguson Apartments.
Where will the participants work? What will they be doing?
Participants will work in the kitchen of the Ferguson Apartments, preparing meals for the residents and staff of the complex.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Demonstrate an aptitude for basic math, weights, and measurement
- Not be a danger to self or others
- Have the ability to lift 25 pounds or more
- Able to work while standing for long periods of time
- Be clean and sober during training
Certificate of Completion Criterion:
The participants will receive "Hands On" training in all areas of a food service establishment. This will give them a realistic work experience, exposing them to different career paths in hospitality. Participants will rotate through 5 areas. These areas are salad and sandwich preparation, cooking technologies, dessert and pastry preparation, servery and display, and utility. Upon 80% completion of all areas, participants will receive a certificate of completion for food service. However, some individuals may successfully pass one, two, three, or four of the five areas. This will enable them to receive a certificate of completion in that area (for example; certification in dessert and pastry preparation). This course enhances work attitudes and demonstrates the importance of teamwork. The participants will become proficient in food preparation, thereby enabling them to obtain jobs in the food service industry.
Physical Demands of Training:
The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by a participant to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the participant is often required to stand for long periods of time, walk, use hands, talk or hear.
- Regularly required to reach with hands and arms.
- And occasionally required to sit, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, taste or smell, and operate a computer.
- The participant must regularly lift up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by the job include distance, color, peripheral, depth perception, and ability to focus.
People who are successful in this industry typically like the following:
- Being creative
- Working in teams
- Being precise
- Understanding the importance of time
- Working under pressure
- Being task oriented
- Being able to meet deadlines
Examples of entry-level jobs participants would qualify for following training:
Preparation Cook, cooks assistant, bakery associate, utility dishwasher, food server attendant, host / hostess, waiter / waitress
Average wage range of entry-level workers in this industry in the Grand Rapids area:
The average wage for cooks in the Grand Rapids area is $8.00 to $10.00 per hour.
What does the job market look like for this kind of work? Is the demand high, medium or low?
The demand for a food service worker is high. The reason for this is based on society dining out more because of a busier life style.
Instructional tools and equipment to be used:
- Visual Equipment (projector, pictures, posters, and diagrams)
- Kitchen Equipment (ovens, slicers, mixers, fryers, steamers, and skillets)
- Serving Utensils (spoons, knives, forks, whisks, and scoops)
- Topic Handouts
- Lab Work
- Standardized Recipes
- All tools and equipment are provided by Goodwill Industries and are included in the training cost.
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