$225,000 Grant to Spur Culinary Job Training in Massachusetts
Springfield — Snapchef, the leading culinary training and staffing company in New England, joined with Governor Baker’s Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Rosalin Acosta, and Springfield Mayor, Domenic Sarno, to announce a $225,000 apprenticeship grant from the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County. The announcement took place at Snapchef’s Springfield office located at 174 Worthington Street. The Worthington Street office serves as an administrative and hiring center for Snapchef culinary professionals and represents Snapchef’s initial expansion into Western New England.
The Apprenticeship USA program is a federally funded initiative to support workforce development in Massachusetts. The goal of the Apprenticeship USA program is to double and further diversify Registered a pprenticeships (RA) across the country. Currently, there are approximately 450,000 Registered Apprentices in the US, and American and international employers are increasingly turning to Registered Apprenticeship as a workforce solution to help workers acquire 21st century postsecondary education credentials.
“SnapChef’s innovative approach to workforce training through this apprenticeship grant will help fill immediate skills gaps in the Commonwealth. We hope their success will be a catalyst for encouraging additional businesses to utilize the apprenticeship model to train Massachusetts workers for high demand jobs,” said Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Rosalin Acosta.
Since 2016, Snapchef has collaborated with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County to build a scope of job training and career path development in the culinary industry. The Apprenticeship program will lead Snapchef to train and hire 75 Massachusetts residents. Snapchef will continue to collaborate with these partners to ensure that Massachusetts residents across the Commonwealth have access to culinary employment opportunities.
“Just like a great meal, you bring a lot of tasteful ingredients together as one. Here we’ve done it again, with this strong continued partnership with our Regional Employment Board, Governor Baker’s Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta, and the innovative and creativ e Snapchef. We’re very pleased and excited to have Snapchef here in Springfield and thank them for their belief and investment in our city – ‘my administration is all about creating jobs!’”, said Mayor of Springfield, Domenic Sarno.
Snapchef is committed to combating the culinary industry’s shrinking labor pool by providing culinary job opportunities to individuals throughout New England.
According to the National Restaurant Association, 38 percent of restaurant operators have said, “recruiting and retaining employees” is the number -one challenge currently facing their business. The demand for permanent, senior level foodservice professionals in New England is at an all-time high.
“Snapchef is thrilled to be collaborating with the Office of Secretary Acosta and the Regional Employment Board to grow the number skilled culinary workforce here in Springfield and throughout Massachusetts. Apprenticeships provide a pathway for individuals from all backgrounds seeking a rewarding culinary career”, said Todd Snopkowski, Founder and CEO, Snapchef.
Snapchef’s experienced staff and extensive industry network is used to recruit top culinary talent for the most reputable food service operators in the region.
The apprenticeship grant is awarded and managed by the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County which plans, coordinates and oversees the growth and effective use of public and private investment in workforce development initiatives for quality jobs. “The Regional Employment Board of Hampden County is pleased to be a partner with the MA Department of Career Services and SnapChef in the implementation of this exciting apprenticeship job creation and continuous improvement model.
This project is part of the REB’s commitment to innovative training for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” stated J. Jeffrey Sullivan, President of M&M Consulting, LLC, and Chair of the REB’s Board of Directors.
Snapchef employees are trained through the Snapchef Fast Track Curric ulum (FTC) and placed into work -based learning with major universities, hospitals and five-star restaurants. Last year, Snapchef was re sponsible for providing over 1,300 people with jobs in Massachusetts’ culinary industry, a feat that earned their CEO, Todd Snopkowski, the SBA Award for Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year in 2015.
