SCRC: Australian Seafood Apprentice Chef and Commercial Cookery Online Training Series
The pilot project aims to increase the proportion of local seafood on a selection of fine dining restaurant menus by educating apprentice chefs, qualified chefs and front-of-house restaurant staff using a novel training and assessment platform. The platform will be tested with Vocational Education and Training (VET) lecturers, apprentice chefs and front-of-house students to assess its remote learning capabilities. The platform is the addition of live, interactive videos undertaken for each of 6 different, local seafood products. Led by an internationally trained chef. These classes will provide a definitive, locally relevant resource through a single portal that satisfies a current lack of information regarding local seafood.
Chefs need targeted education about a range of benefits (seasonality, health, sustainability, economic value, links with tourism, provenance, full utility of all parts of the animal etc) and training in preparing, cooking and serving local seafood. The local seafood story is attractive to consumers and chefs, and front-of-house staff need a mechanism and resource base to access this information. Vocational Education and Training Institutions need a relevant and flexible syllabus. The development of web-based, interactive vidoes offers the opportunity to meet that need through an innovative eLearning platform, incorporating edited vignettes linked to specific benefits. The platform will allow for relevant VET skill set and assessment.
Final report
The CRC developed an Australian Seafood Apprentice Chef and Commercial Cookery Online Training Series with key lecturers at the West Coast Institute of Training for the following qualifications: Certificate III in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) - Apprentice Program, Certificate III in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) - Full Time Program, Certificate IV in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) - Full Time Program and Certificate IV in Hospitality - Full Time Program.
The training package is designed to provide easy access seafood training to an industry that has many difficulties in releasing their apprentices to attend trade school. The apprentices (and indeed other staff as a refresher), could complete modules in their own time, accessing interactive information and then completing assignments for assessment. This training project is important as 35% of seafood is sold through food service.
