Kitchens no longer keen on trainees

Apprenticeships are dwindling in these hard economic times. Employers don't have the resources or the time to train young blood like they did before the global financial crisis, and the number of apprentices keeps dropping amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

In the trade and service industries, apprentices are the first to go when times get tough; they're the most expendable and despite being the lowest paid, they require more time for training than an experienced employee.

With the manufacturing and hospitality industries teetering and job losses rising on the east coast, potential apprentices are steering away from trade jobs and investing in a sure thing: their education.

Recent data released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research shows that there has been a substantial increase in university enrolments and consequently a decline in apprentices and young people moving into trade professions.

Hospitality Training Network is an industry-based group training organisation that co-ordinates apprenticeship and trainee programs for aspiring chefs.

The group employs apprentices and trainees and helps them find opportunities in the hospitality industry for an agreed period. Apprentices are provided with varied on-the-job experience and accredited vocational training.

HTN operations manager Matthew Eschler partially blames high schools for the decline in chef apprentices, saying careers advisers are not promoting trade professions as a viable employment option after year 12.

"Schools seem to be very university focused and there is a lack of support for the traditional trades," Eschler says.

"(Students) are probably not being presented with or explained their choices. I blame the education system ... and a lack of career advisers."

Eschler says HTN has had a 50 per cent decline in business in recent months and the whole industry has dropped off because of a downturn in the market.

"At any point in time we (used to) have 130-plus (host restaurant) vacancies, (but) right now we only have 62 vacancies," he says.

Host restaurants that are usually willing to work with HTN and take on apprentices are closing their doors to young hopefuls because of the poor economy.

"Obviously things have tightened up (because of) a number of reasons: tourism is down ... and everyone is just not spending - it's really tough." Restaurateurs are struggling, so they want people with transportable skills and right now there is not a lot of investment in training.

"Restaurants are looking for skilled labour straight away, so they're reluctant to take on brand-new apprentices."

Eschler says the decline in willing apprentices and available apprenticeships is a serious concern for the trade and hospitality industries.

"Skills shortages have been around now since mid 1980s; there are just not enough tradespeople heading into the industry," he points out.

In October 2008, the government reduced hospitality apprenticeship training to three years to encourage people to participate in apprenticeships and increase the flow of skilled labourers.

The training period is under review again, with an outcome due to be announced early next year. Eschler is concerned that the "noble profession" of commercial cookery is being devalued by reducing the length of apprenticeships. "Everything is now about convenience; the trade is now about having people get through quickly," he says.

"It is a shame. It's a profession based on tradition and it's about the finer art of food, and that's being lost in some cases."

Another problem, Eschler says, is restaurants willing to take on young apprentices are struggling to attract members of generation Y to their profession.

"It's not promoted as a viable career option, but it is. It's exciting, it gives you opportunities to travel - right now Europe is screaming for Australian chefs because of their work ethic."

WILLING TO TAKE THE HEAT AS A NOVICE
EVEN amid an apprenticeship slump within the struggling hospitality industry, there are restaurateurs and chefs who see the professional value in taking on young help.

Fuji Taukatelata, 19, is an apprentice chef employed by the Hospitality Training Network who has worked at some of Sydney's top restaurants and gained invaluable experience through her apprenticeship and vocational training.

Taukatelata, from Campbelltown in NSW, was offered an HTN apprenticeship while working at the local Catholic Club. "My family really wanted me to go to university," she says. "I was interested in studying criminology at school, but at that time I was tossing up between that and being a chef. I enjoyed working at the Catholic Club, so I decided to take the risk and do my apprenticeship. I haven't regretted it."

She worked at Campbelltown Catholic Club for 16 months and after that moved to Rydges Campbelltown for five months before deciding to go to the city.

HTN operations manager Matthew Eschler says clubs and hotels have been proactive in recruiting young talent and are willing to take the time to nurture apprentices.

"In Sydney I worked in a number of restaurants like La Rosa (in the Strand Arcade). I stayed there for about five months. But on top of all the (host restaurants) I worked at, I also did a lot of work placement work in my own time."

Restaurants are often willing to take on for a week or two young chefs who are prepared to work for free. Officials may slam this as free labour, but apprentices such as Taukatelata see it as invaluable experience and a welcome opportunity to learn.

"On my own time, whenever I had a day off my apprenticeship, I would go to another restaurant for my placement. It's like an internship. The Bridge Room and Longrain Sydney both took me in. I would go and learn about different cuisines to see what skills are out there and take it all on board.

"Restaurants are quite open to internships, which is great. Longrain took me on for a whole week and actually even offered me a job at the end."

Taukatelata is completing the third and final year of her apprenticeship at Campbelltown Golf Club. She has had the opportunity to take part in a number of competitions through HTN and was the winner in a women's chef mentoring program run by TAFE Sydney Institute.

As a young woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, Taukatelata believes it is important for groups like HTN to support the hiring of female chefs.

"Overall it has been fun and awesome, but ... you come across a few old-school chefs who don't think women belong in the kitchen.

"I once had an old-school Italian chef who didn't like women in the kitchen and I was treated really badly.

"But I guess that kept me pushing to get noticed, it made me work harder to show that women do have a spot in the industry. I really push for that now, being a female apprentice chef."

Source: The Australian, 20 August 2012