MEDIA RELEASE
Date: 3 September 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Industry celebrates New Zealand’s first catering qualification graduation
The hospitality industry will today celebrate the first graduation of its catering and food service sector qualification
in Hamilton.
After six months of on-the-job training and study, eight Spotless Services (NZ) Ltd staff are the first to complete the
new Food Service Limited Credit Programme through HSI - the hospitality industry’s training partner.
HSI’s Chief Executive, Steve Hanrahan, says the certificate is the first nationally recognised qualification for the
sector, which employs about 13,000 people.
“It provides the flexibility of on-the-job training, allowing staff to earn and learn while gaining a qualification in
Food Service,” Mr Hanrahan says.
Mr Hanrahan says the new qualifications pathway provides a nationally-recognised standard of training that demonstrates
and helps to achieve career progression within the hospitality industry.
“We’ve worked very closely with the sector to develop a qualifications pathway that enables staff to gain the skills and
knowledge to develop their careers and provide a quality focus across the industry,” Mr Hanrahan says.
The programme enables students to continue their learning into a National Certificate in Hospitality Levels 2–5.
John Wilkinson, Spotless Food Services General Manager, congratulated graduating staff and welcomed the qualification’s
pathway opportunities, saying it would grow people into supervisory and management positions and help businesses to
develop their staff.
“With a nationally-recognised accredited and assessed standard it provides our clients with assurance of consistent
quality and efficiency,” Mr Wilkinson says. Spotless Food Services (NZ) Ltd already provides in-house training and some
NZQA-approved courses for its 2,500 staff. The Hamilton pilot programme will now be made available to some 219 Spotless
Services (NZ) Ltd sites throughout the country.
HSI’s National Training Advisor Alison Thompson is thrilled at the uptake of the new qualification within the industry.
“This is a qualification that the Food Service sector needs. Compared with the rest of the hospitality industry the work
of the catering and food services sector is done very much behind the scenes, however it’s integral to the country’s
infrastructure. Auckland Hospital is also underway with the pilot programme and we have other organisations lining up
for the qualification,” Ms Thompson says.
As the hospitality industry’s national training organisation (ITO), HSI leads access to training and qualifications for
the hospitality industry, including overseeing, supervising, assisting and reviewing all nationally-recognised training
for chefs, waiters, baristas, bar persons, porters, hotel receptionists, room-attendants, house-keepers, supervisors and
managers.
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