Qualitaly_124

AUG. SEP. 2021 X we have activated a first level, which anyone can access, and a second level, which can be accessed by those who have passed the first and young people with a hotel management school diploma. The two-year courses have a cost of 10,000 euros/year, while the professional ones range from 1,200 to 1,700 euros per month. Masters courses usually start in mid-October, while professional courses are held several times a year”. Thanks also to the fact that the lessons are already conducted electronically, Cordon Bleu has not been affected by the pandemic. “We’ve had very few days of downtime,” explains Mori, “and enrolments have not decreased, which is good because there are many requests for personnel from operators in the sector. Some important Florentine companies have even asked us to organize ad hoc costs to train new recruits to be included in their staff”. ABRUZZO NIKO ROMITO ACADEMY The Niko Romito Academy is aimed at all those who wish to undertake a complete training course that teaches not only the preparation of a dish, but also to understand the importance of food and its transformation, of the territory, of study and continuous research. To be admitted to the selection process you must have a secondary school diploma and not be over 35 years old, pass an entrance test and a one-to-one interview, aimed at a psycho-aptitude assessment. “The courses provided,”explains Fabio Bucciarelli, director of the Niko Romito Academy, “are 2 per year: one in spring and one in autumn, the duration is about 11 months, 5 of theory and 6 of apprenticeship, the maximum number of participants is 16 (due to pandemic dropped to 14). The first month is dedicated to theoretical lessons, then 4 months of activities in the school’s laboratories begin. The last phase is dedicated to the experience of Spazio Rivisondoli, a restaurant-laboratory completely managed by the students, under the supervision of the Chef tutor and the Room Tutor. At the end of this experience, there follows the actual apprenticeship in one of the structures of our circuit or in external structures of the same level. At the end of the internship there is the final exam: the preparation of a dish created in total autonomy by each student on a theme decided by Chef Niko Romito. On a meritocratic basis, the first 3 students of the ranking generated by the sum of the evaluations in the year and the final exam will be entitled to 3 scholarships, the first of 5000 € the second and the third of €3000 €”. An important opportunity, considering that the cost of the course is €19,520. The pandemic has not stopped the interest in this profession: “The applications have increased compared to two years ago,” explains Bucciarelli. “The course that will begin this fall is sold out since the beginning of the year. Soon we will open enrolment for the course that will begin in spring 2022. We remain in contact with all our students after the end of the course, to assist them in their job search and to support them in their projects. The job outlets are countless and all over the world, 80% of our alumni are placed in the restaurant industry. In 9 years of training courses, 30 of our former students have owned businesses in Italy and abroad”. CAMPANIA IN CIBUM In Cibum is part of the FMTP group, a training body specialising in Erasmus projects and an employment agency. “We realized that there was a strong need for qualified personnel in the restaurant industry, but there were no figures to meet the demand,” says Mariagiovanna Sansone, director of In Cibum, “so two years ago we founded the school with courses for cooks, pastry chefs and pizza makers. The courses are aimed at young people who have already attended the hotel management school, but also at those who have taken different paths and perhaps have already worked as seasonal workers. We also have demonstrative masterclasses and practical courses to update professionals”. The courses for young people include two weeks of theory, three months of laboratory work and a four-month internship, with costs ranging from 3,800 euros for the bread-making course to 10,500 euros for those for pastry chefs and cooks. “After graduation,” she continues, “we continue to follow up on the students, accompanying them in their work placement. In this period the job offers are very numerous”. The pandemic has not stopped enrolment requests; indeed, many young people have taken advantage of it to invest in training. “Paradoxically, we have had a drop in enrolments in the courses that started in spring,” she concludes, “perhaps because young people have preferred to take advantage of the summer season to work for a few months. In fact, the sessions that start in the fall have seen an important upswing in enrolment”. ALSO ONE-TO-ONE For those who want to learn the profession or delve into a particular area, there are also alternatives to academies, such as the on-to-one vegetable cooking courses organized in Milan by Marzia Riva, as part of the Arna Food Lab. I offer personalized courses,” she explains, “which can range from a single lesson to a complete cycle. They are aimed at newcomers who want to embark on a professional path, or professionals who want to deepen their expertise in vegetable cooking to update or expand their offerings. Each course is completely personalized based on the participant’s needs. In the lessons I can deepen both the technical aspects and those concerning the management of the business. The course of a complete cycle is about 5,000 euros”. MAGAZINE