A training program in hospitality skills for unemployed and disengaged young people has won the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Community Partnerships in the business category award.
The program HEAT - Hospitality Employment and Training — was developed by a consortium involving the Port Phillip Council, William Angliss Institute, Victoria Police, the Inner Eastern Local Learning and Employment Network and the Metropol - and is managed by St Kilda Youth Services.
The program recently secured St Kilda restaurateur and TV chef, Iain ‘Huey’ Hewitson, as its patron.
The program trains the young people in responsible serving of alcohol and how to apply for jobs and also provides them with two days-a-week training at William Angliss as well as a two-week work placement in local cafes, restaurants and bars. The course is free and students are supplied with free uniforms.
Port Phillip mayor, Janet Bolitho, said that the HEAT program had the right ingredients for success. “The students relish the hands-on training at William Angliss and the excursions the council organised for the students to meet local café and restaurant operators and to food havens such as the Yarra Valley.
“They now understand that getting a job in the hospitality industry is just not just a matter of skills but of attitude. Employers want staff who want to work and can turn up on time.”
