In the world of hospitality, certain skills are crucial for standing out to employers. Cookery tutor Scott Campbell gives us his top five skills any student chef should learn before joining the hospitality industry. Read about what employers are looking for in graduate chefs and how you can develop these skills in our hospitality programmes at Whitireia and WelTec.
Knife Skills
Any chef will need to develop good knife skills, particularly student chefs starting out. Being able to determine which knife is suitable for what job, having the ability to keep your knives sharp and using knives safely is a must in any commercial kitchen. Knife skills are taught in all of our cookery and bakery programmes. We teach you how to handle knives across different jobs such as filleting fish, deboning chicken or slicing fruit and vegetables.
Efficiency
Being able to work efficiently is critical for any hospitality business. The last thing you want for a business is waste, either in regards to food or time. We take great care in teaching students how to be efficient in the kitchen - what to do with food waste, how to become more sustainable in cooking and managing time in the kitchen.
Speed and Accuracy
These are skills that any chef needs in hospitality. The clock can be your number one enemy so being quick, accurate and efficient in what you do will cut down costs to a business. Students learn this through serving real customers in our student restaurant and café services, alongside practical lessons in the cookery and bakery programmes.
Attitude
Something that comes for free and requires zero skill. All hospitality businesses rely on workers to be honest, hardworking, reliable, and punctual. Students work on shifts while studying Hospitality at Whitireia and WelTec, and punctuality is important as lessons are fast-paced.
At Whitireia and WelTec, students gain hands on experience through a block of industry work placements. The students will experience working different shifts, working with other professional hospitality staff and understand how hospitality businesses operate. These work experience blocks are a taster for students taking their first steps in industry and many gain employment from this. Work experience is offered in our Level 4 Cookery, Bakery and Level 3 Certificate in Hospitality programmes.
Communication Skills
Kitchens, restaurants and bars can be loud, busy places where you need to use your voice to be heard clearly. They can also be dangerous places, so communication is key to keeping yourself and others safe. Communication means many things and we decipher this in our programmes. We use industry language in our lessons as well as teach strategies to improve your communication skills in the kitchen setting.
Study Hospitality in Petone
Develop all the skills needed for a career in hospitality. Learn in-demand skills from experienced tutors and hone your passion for food by enrolling in one of our hospitality programmes.
