C-cap Approved-- A New Program To Certify Students For Entry-level Employment

C-CAP APPROVED  A NEW CUTTING-EDGE PROGRAM TO CERTIFY STUDENTS FOR ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYMENT
IN THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY


Phoenix, AZ, March 29, 2004  This summer, for the first time, culinary students in Arizona will have one more tool in their search for employment. Following a series of tests this spring, students will have a certificate attesting to the entry-level skills they have mastered in the kitchen. C-CAP Approved is a new and unique program being piloted by the Arizona chapter of the not-for-profit organization, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP).

C-CAP was founded in 1990 to help prepare underserved public school students for careers in the foodservice industry in United States. Currently operating in seven locales around the country, the organization serves more than 10,000 students annually and has awarded $12 million in scholarships to post-secondary culinary programs since its inception.

Under the guidance of C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman, C-CAP Arizona Coordinator Barbara Colleary and the C-CAP Arizona Industry Advisory Board (comprised of Arizonas top chefs, restaurateurs, hotel managers and educators) designed C-CAP Approved over the past two years. This program identifies the skills high school students need to master in order to secure entry-level, foodservice jobs.

The Advisory Board created a list of skills necessary for entry-level employment along with a complementary series of tests. The Board is chaired by Executive Chef Rick Sederholt, Scottsdale Plaza Resort/Remingtons in Scottsdale; and is co-chaired by Chef/Owner Christopher Gross, Christophers Fermier in Phoenix; and Chef/Owner Michael De Maria, Michaels at The Citadel in Scottsdale.

These skills cover a range of areas that includes safety, sanitation, culinary math, basic knife and baking skills, and front of the house fundamentals. The design of C-CAP Approved allows students to be certified in one, many, or all of the listed areas. The skills and testing are being piloted this year in six public high schools in Arizona. Industry professionals working outside of the school system will conduct the student testing.

In all, 60 students will be tested as part of C-CAP Approved this year. Several of the students participating in the C-CAP Approved pilot were introduced at the C-CAP Arizona Awards Breakfast held today at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa.

Seeing the importance of the work that C-CAP has undertaken, the Board of Directors of CIRA (The Council of Independent Restaurants of America) has endorsed C-CAP Approved. Mr. Donald Luria, President of CIRA and Owner of Cafi Terra Cotta in Tucson said,  . . . the work of C-CAP in certifying training in basic skills to individuals who might not otherwise be provided with the opportunity to enter the culinary workforce is offering an invaluable and much needed service and source to chefs and restaurateurs.

According to Grausman, the program has four primary objectives. First, it aims to create a roadmap to help high school culinary teachers highlight the skills employers are looking for in potential entry-level employees. Second, C-CAP Approved will help students focus on the skills they need to master to succeed as they enter the workforce. Third, the program will inform employers of the capability of a potential employee. And finally, the program will ultimately raise the quality and skill level of entry-level workers in the industry.

The cost of entry-level training is a constant concern in the foodservice industry. It is our hope, said Grausman, that C-CAP Approved will help shorten this training, increase job retention, and thus cut down on training costs for the industry.

In the coming year C-CAP will roll out C-CAP Approved to some of its other cities including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, and plans to maintain a web-based database that will keep records