College has the recipe for success

So many options on the table

THROUGH simulated learning environments and industry placements, Elizabeth College students are combining industry standard hospitality training with study towards their Tasmanian Certificate of Education.

Students can now gain certification in Responsible Service of Alcohol on site, along with barista training, catering and customer service in the college’s recently upgraded cafe, kitchens and bar.

Training for larger functions takes place outside the college with students working on functions at the Hotel Grand Chancellor this year for more than 600 people. Through this experience the students have had the opportunity to meet stars including Will and Steve from My Kitchen Rules. The students performed so well they were invited back for a function in July.

Their preparation, plating and service for the Tasmanian Hospitality Association’s annual fundraising dinner in May, with well-known chef Paul Foreman, was also great experience for the students.

“There are many facets to the workings of a restaurant — technique, time management, precision, cleanliness, working well with others and the list goes on,” Mr Foreman said.

“One trait that I hold dear and precious above all is initiative. Thinking ahead, thinking on your feet, seeing what needs to be done and doing it.

“That is the stuff of legends and that is what I witnessed several of the [Hobart College] students doing which was fantastic to see.”

Elizabeth College students will steward at the Fine Foods Awards at the Showgrounds in July, which showcases new food trends and sets benchmarks for excellence.

The students will also work on the Fine Foods Awards dinner, a prestigious event attended by hospitality professionals from around Australia.

Hospitality teacher Kirsten Bacon said this was a wonderful opportunity for students passionate about the industry to engage with the wider food and hospitality community. “They will also get to experience and taste foods that they may not be familiar with and explore foods from around Tasmania and interstate,” she said.

The dinner will also allow students to have the opportunity to learn from the experts and talk to key industry personnel, which can lead to work opportunities.

Mrs Bacon’s association with the Fine Food Awards goes back to judging in Queensland in the 90s.

The College is often visited by industry experts, who show students where a career in hospitality might take them,

This includes Curator of Dark Mofo Winter Feast Jo Cook, who came to recruit students, and representatives from the Australian Defence Force.

As well as Hospitality, Elizabeth College also offers a variety of other job-ready training.

Certifications in Automotive, Business, Children’s Services, Construction, Retail Cosmetics and Tourism, make up a suite of vocational programs that prepare students for careers within Tasmania and around the world.