EMILY GRIFFITH TECHNICAL COLLEGE, COLORADO RESTAURANT FOUNDATION

Denver

News: A partnership between the Emily Griffith Technical College and the Colorado Restaurant Foundation gives aspiring line cooks in the Emily Griffith culinary program the opportunity to have paid apprenticeships at area restaurants.

The partnership, said Kelsey Glass, associate dean of apprenticeships at Emily Griffith Technical College, was launched during National Apprenticeship Week (Nov. 15-21) and connects students between the ages of 17 and 24 with private-sector restaurants, giving them “new opportunities to earn and learn.”

The students, she added, gain valuable “on-the-job training that aligns with what they are doing during their instructional training. The line cook apprentices will learn hard culinary skill sets, food safety and sanitation knowledge and the fundamentals of inventory and supply management.”

Chef Tom Inzano, an instructor at Emily Griffith Technical College’s culinary arts program, described the apprenticeship program as “a great way for students to gain work experience while they attend school. Then, when they graduate, they don’t have to worry about starting a career without any experience.”

As an added benefit, the apprenticeship program provides students with a case manager to track their progress and support them as their careers in the culinary industry progress.

Colorado Restaurant Foundation president Laura Shunk said that her organization “aims to provide access and advancement opportunities through training and workforce development programs in the food service industry, and we can only do that with partners like Emily Griffith.”

About the organizations: Emily Griffith Technical College is the adult and post-secondary arm of the Denver Public School District. Its mission is to prepare students for today’s workforce and tomorrow’s opportunities. Emily Griffith serves approximately 8,000 students annually through 25 career-training certification programs, 11 apprenticeships and a robust adult education and English language program. It was founded in 1916.

The Colorado Restaurant Foundation had its start in 1987 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is the philanthropic arm of the Colorado Restaurant Association.

Websites: EmilyGriffith.edu

Corestaurant.org/foundation

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