The hospitality sector took a knock during the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and now more than ever, a new set of skills is needed to cater to its varied needs as the global industry continues to grow, change and diversify with new properties and concepts.
To this end, the NDS Chefs Academy has put together a variety of exciting short courses in the food and beverage management – as well as travel and accommodation – for students looking to acquire highly specialised skills to deal with the ensuing economic and hospitality trends as South Africa remains travel ready ahead of the promising 2023 travel season.
“It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed consumer behavior to food,” communications specialist Neo Mohlatlole, from Joburg-based luxury concierge service company, KNM, said -adding: “This means that a new breed of hospitality students will need to have transversal skills more than ever before: having the ability to adopt multiple skills such as good communication and team working skills, as well as excellent customer service. The need to restructure operations and enable them to produce relevant food products in a safe, financial, and environmentally viable manner takes top priority without a doubt.”
And so is the demand for new supply strategies to cater to the closure of restaurants and coffees shops among other businesses, which has in turn resulted in an increase in demand for basic food products and services, with several others forced to operate online platforms to meet the demand.
Taking big steps to equip SA for the future of work in hospitality
The hospitality industry is vast and can be broken down into four top separate sectors consisting of; food and beverage, travel and tourism, lodging, and recreation.
The food and beverage category includes restaurants, bars, and lounges, while travel and tourism covers airlines and travel agencies. Lodging on the other hand, can be anything from hotels to traditional B&Bs, and to a larger air B&B accommodation and vacation rentals. Then comes the recreational sector, which includes a broad range of leisure pursuits such as fishing, cultural entertainment and all kinds of sports (golfing, sports, basketball e.t.c).
To cater to the in-demand skills in these sectors, NDS Chefs Academy offers full qualifications of short courses in Food and Beverage, Accommodation Services and Reception Management. The academy is now (2023) a decade old and has placed learners in employment across the world.
“We are committed to building long term relationships with our students and businesses in the different industries that we operate in, so as to enhance and promote superior service excellence and customer/students experience,” the academy said in a statement sent to NOWinSA. “Students who enrol with us enjoy the benefit of being placed in different sectors of hospitality for workplace, and these set them on the right path of securing employment at the end of their qualification.”
NDS Chefs Academy is a City and Guilds Approved institution and is accredited with CATHSSETA (Culture, Art, Tourism, Sports, Sector of Education and Training Authority) and QCTO (Quality Council for Trade & Occupation). It is the first institution in the whole of South Gauteng and North of Free State offering accredited trade test for chefs, which takes place over two days.
This ‘red seal’ certification, which comes at the back of the recently reported global shortage of chefs, is a dream come true for highly experienced cooks in South Africa whose culinary skills were previously not recognised as an official trade. Furthermore, it puts the much-needed spotlight on few well-equipped culinary schools such as NDS Chefs Academy, that are dated and able to prepare students to be the chefs of tomorrow. As noted in a recent article by foodinspiration.com, these are chefs that are able to manage both back and front of the house activities. Meaning they can coach and train employees while at the same time curating the guests experience.
To secure a space with this internationally accredited South African culinary institution, click this link. Alternatively visit www.ndsacademy.co.za.
“We are thrilled to welcome the new students to NDS Chefs academy, we have successfully placed our graduates in different parts of the world and recently had a group of students working at the 2022 Qatar world cup,” said NDS Chef’s Academy MD Lebo Lekotoko.
Also read: (This article gives tips on how students can prepare themselves for the workplace).
