For Career Success Enroll in a Catering Program and Go Back to School
by Jane Smallman
Chef School Review Columnist
Catering is expected to be a growth industry over the next few years, but the people predicted to be most successful are those with the right qualifications. Take some time now to find the right school and catering program for you, and it will pay dividends in the future.
The US Bureau of Labor Studies predicts that qualifications will become increasingly important for anyone who wants to succeed in the catering industry. It has become more and more important, therefore, for students to spend time at school in a specialized catering program.
What Kind of Catering Program is Available?
A wide variety of catering programs are available at different levels; typical examples are:
- Certificate Level Program. This is available at many different catering schools in many different subjects. For example: baking and pastry, culinary arts, garde manger, catering management, restaurant management and hospitality management. This type of program usually takes around one year to complete.
- Associate of Arts or Science Degree. The exact content of this type of program varies according to the catering school offering it. Typically it is titled Culinary Arts, Culinary Technology, Baking and Pastry, Le Cordon Bleu, or Hospitality Management. An associate's program takes around two years to complete.
- Bachelor of Arts or Science Degree. Study for this qualification incorporates a range of business-orientated subjects as well as a comprehensive catering program. The exact content and title of the program varies according to the catering school offering it. Typically it is known as a Bachelor's in Hospitality and Catering Management, Culinary Arts, Culinary Technology or Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.
A wide range of schools around the country offer the above programs, from community colleges, public and private universities to specialized catering schools which only offer catering programs.
About the Author
Jane Smallman runs a mountain guiding business with her husband. Her early training was in hotel management and she has worked in the hotel industry in France, Holland, the US and the UK. Following this she worked in an administrative capacity for a number of not-for-profit organizations in the UK, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Refugee Legal Centre. While doing this she earned a degree in Social Sciences through distance learning with the Open University. After graduation she progressed to the University of Sussex as a full-time student where she was awarded a Masters Degree in Social and Political Thought.
Sources
Posted on March 25, 2005 at 1:09 PM
Earlier: A Successful Career In Hospitality Needs the Right Management Training
Later: Professional Pastry Chef Training is a Path to the Top
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