After a 4-week Program, Students Are on Track for Long Term Culinary Success
(Woonsocket)Today, Snapchef, New England’s premiere culinary placement and training agency graduated seven individuals from their pilot program in partnership with Community Care Alliance. This culinary training and career development program connect northern Rhode Island youth and young adults to careers in the culinary industry.
During this 4-week program students gained the knowledge and skills needed to enter the culinary industry through Snapchef’s industry-leading Fast Track Culinary training curriculum. Through a hands-on approach students executed several recipes including Gloucester Fresh Fish Cakes and Toasted Pearl Couscous Salad. Once the students completed the pilot program they received a Snapchef Certificate and a ServSafe® Foodhandler Certificate. To further the students’ culinary careers Snapchef will connect students to internships that match their interests for a period between five and 20 weeks. A grant award of $27,440 from the Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island (WPGRI), a workforce investment board serving every city and town in the state except Providence and Cranston, made the initiative possible.
“Our collaboration with Community Care Alliance has proven successful thanks to many of our shared values. Both Snapchef and Community Care Alliance have had a long-standing commitment to workforce development through self-sufficiency programs,” said Todd Snopkowski, Snapchef Founder and CEO. “We sought to train these students with the necessary culinary skills, and through our extensive network we’ll be able to connect them to internships for long term success.”
“This is exactly the kind of real-world, hands-on training that we must keep investing in so that young Rhode Islanders of varying educational levels can compete and have the chance for a brighter future,” said Governor Gina M. Raimondo, who appoints the members of WPGRI’s board. “I’m glad and proud to support this innovative and responsive initiative. Community Care Alliance truly is an anchor in Woonsocket and northern Rhode Island and our investment in the Snapchef training is an investment not only in the futures of these graduates but also in the future of our state.”
Snapchef chose Rhode Island as the location for the pilot culinary training and career development program to capitalize on the state’s recent job growth. Snapchef has partnered with local, workforce development leaders like Community Care Alliance to meet industry demand throughout Rhode Island. This partnership is one of many that Snapchef has leveraged to train and staff the next generation of culinary leaders.
Snapchef is committed to combating the industry’s shrinking labor pool by providing culinary job opportunities to individuals throughout New England. According to the National Restaurant Association, 18 percent of restaurant operators said ‘recruiting and retaining employees is their number-one business challenge. By providing ‘earn-and-learn’ training, Snapchef teaches its employees the necessary skills to succeed in the culinary industry.
Community Care Alliance’s goal is to empower people challenged by economic insecurity, mental illness and addictions, housing issues, and other trauma-related concerns. It provides counseling, treatment and support services; food, shelter and housing; programs to assist with self-sufficiency such as employment, financial literacy and vocational training; and support for self-help. As a fully licensed, certified, multi-service, non-profit, health & human services agency, CCA offers more than 50 programs that address the multiple needs of the people it serves.
