Culinary school revalidates programs
THE CENTER for Culinary Arts, (CCA) Manila has collaborated again with Dr. John Knapp for the revalidation of its curriculum.
Knapp has more than 30 years experience in the culinary industry, assuming various responsibilities and developing expertise in work force development, organization-level design and governance, as well as project management, monitoring and evaluation.
He helped establish CCA, Manila, the first culinary education institution in the Philippines, in 1995. CCA, Manila is attached to the Cravings Group founded by Susana “Annie” P. Guerrero, who serves as president.
Knapp helped ensure that CCA courses met industry requirements and helped develop an occupational profile of a chef, the basis for curriculum and program design.
Returning to the country after 20 years, Knapp conducted a monthlong program of revalidation workshops for CCA, Manila and its sister school, Asian School of Hospitality Arts (ASHA).
He also assessed the competency levels of faculty and management, and helped develop new systems and industry-driv- en strategies to update the curricula.
Knapp said he was proud of what CCA, Manila had achieved and done in the past 20 years. Understanding the needs of the market and coming up with responsive ways to provide highly trained culinary professionals were key ingredients and the driving forces behind the success of CCA, he said.
Badjie G. Trinidad, chief executive officer of the Cravings Group, said Knapp was highly recommended by Northern Alberta Institute of Technology because of his in-depth knowledge and experience in handling the process of developing a curriculum.
During Knapp’s recent visit, he conducted workshops with stakeholders in the restaurant and hospitality industries on skills matching and job hiring practices.
He said that for graduates to be successful, academic programs must meet both the needs of the students and industry.
Students have to develop the right technical and practical skills, as well as communication skills and professional work ethic, to prepare for the demands of industry, he said.
Dr. Veritas Luna, chancellor for education of CCA, Manila said the validation brought a new focus to CCA and ASHA.
Luna said both institutions would implement Knapp’s recommendations by phases, starting with the institutionalization of the Program Advisory Committee for all academic programs.
Luna said there was really a need for changes for CCA to stay abreast of global trends and to meet the learning needs of students.
Knapp said CCA already had the momentum and needed only to sustain its direction. CCA, he said, was “well-poised for greater heights.”
Call 2188566 or e-mail marketing@cca-manila.com. Visit www.cca-manila.com. CCA, Manila is at 287 Katipunan Ave., Loyola Heights, Quezon City.