KEY POINTS:
Budding chefs and front-of-house staff now have another way to land an apprenticeship, thanks to a new Group Modern Apprenticeship scheme.
Launched in November last year by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand and the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI), the scheme has, to date, attracted 18 restaurant owners
keen to take on apprentices - but only 10 places have so far been filled - three front-of-house positions and seven chefs.
The association's executive officer, Alistair Rowe, says it's not a case of there not being enough applicants, but rather the organisation is being "careful."
Its plan is to have 60 Group Modern Apprentices by mid 2009. The association has previously stated that the hospitality industry needs to recruit and train around 6,000 people a year between now and 2010 to meet demand.
Up until last November, if a restaurant wanted an apprentice, the business owner wouldn't only get a trainee - they'd get a mountain of paperwork too.
But the association says it has removed that headache with its Group Modern Apprenticeship scheme.
The scheme means apprentice chefs and front-of-house staff are employed by the Restaurant Association Education Trust, rather than the restaurant itself.
The Restaurateur provides work and in-house training, bearing only the cost of an hourly rate.
Rowe says the scheme is perfect for venues that are normally too small to handle an apprentice and the external training requirements.
Martina Lutz runs two restaurants in Auckland and has taken on Simon Hoffmann as an apprentice chef at the Wine Chambers as part of the scheme.
"The apprenticeship scheme works really well for me because the Restaurant Association does all the paperwork for us - we don't have to worry about PAYE, holiday pay or ACC," says Lutz. "And a chef learns so much more on the job because they are actually doing the work of preparing food for real people - our customers."
Lutz says trainee chefs typically start off performing basic tasks - such as preparing breads, dips and whipping cream.
"Simon already has lots of knowledge and in a short time he has taken on more responsibility," she says. "He works lunch times and evenings."
Lutz is from Germany where apprenticeships for chefs are commonplace.
"What we are doing is what we did in Germany so I am used to having an apprentice on the staff. Even in a small kitchen like ours there is plenty to learn," she says.
Hoffmann left school after completing seventh form at age 17 and spent time in retail before entering the hospitality industry.
"I had been working in restaurants for about six months as a dishwasher and then changed to this apprenticeship," says Hoffman.
"The benefit to me of being a Modern Apprentice is that everything I do is for real. Food I prepare will be served in the restaurant. My friends at uni make dishes, but they are only seen by teachers, so I feel there is more pressure here to get things right first time.
"It's also busy in a working kitchen. There are three of us here preparing food for up to 50 customers some lunchtimes. But while it is busy, it is nothing less than I expected. I worked in kitchens part time while at school."
Once employed by the trust, Hoffmann was keen to be placed in a restaurant that fitted the type and style of food he wanted to work with.
"Working in the right restaurant is something the Restaurant Association understands," says Hoffmann. "They knew my preference for European and Mediterranean food and so offered me this position - it fits perfectly.
"After one year here I'll transfer to Martina's other restaurant, No 5, where a different style of food is served - so I'll get the chance to develop even further."
Hoffmann's advice to budding chefs is to apply for an apprenticeship for the "full-on" option.
"From the feedback I've heard from my friends doing uni courses, an apprenticeship offers a lot more of the practical side of the work and you pick up little things you don't see every day. Things such as the cleaning schedule and the different things people order."
For the restaurant owner, Rowe says the training scheme removes the risk of employing someone who doesn't work out "which in a small business can be a big issue".
"There are still stand-alone apprenticeships out there," he says. "We are copying the apprentice training model from the engineering industry."
He says businesses that want to take part in the association's scheme must have a chef who is adequately qualified, the restaurant must have a good menu and when placing someone in a front-of-house position it requires someone at the restaurant be qualified and capable of training the apprentice.
