Culinary academy meets new benchmark while training apprentices for a growing hospitality industry.
The Omni Mount Washington Resort has met a new milestone by registering their Bretton Woods Culinary Academy as a Registered Apprenticeship with the US Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Apprenticeship. The culinary academy was developed in 2017 through a partnership with White Mountains Community College (WMCC) and most recently the resort collaborated with ApprenticeshipNH to have the program approved as a Cook Registered Apprenticeship. ApprenticeshipNH is a grant-funded program which seeks to address workforce needs in industry sectors throughout the state by helping employers develop apprenticeship programs that meet federal standards. This enhancement to the culinary academy will allow apprentices training to become top-notch chefs to also receive a national occupational credential from the US DOL.
“The Bretton Woods Culinary Academy began as an important way for us not only to invest in our employees and give them an opportunity to begin a career, but also a viable solution for responding to our hiring gaps,” said Josh DeBottis, General Manager. “We’re excited to take the next step and have the program approved as a Registered Apprenticeship. It brings a new level of rigor and recognition to the program, and provides an additional credential that makes the program more attractive to incoming apprentices.”
About the program
The program will consist of 503 hours of classroom instruction completed over the course of three years at WMCC. All required coursework is credit-bearing, and college credits earned by the apprentices are applied towards a Culinary Arts Associate Degree awarded by WMCC upon completion. The Registered Apprenticeship program at the Omni Mount Washington Resort also requires just over three years of on-the-job training, which equates to 6,200 hours. As cook apprentices, apprentices will learn with the support of a mentor how to prepare, serve, and plan a variety of menu items offered at the resort.
“This apprenticeship program enables participants to not only begin an exciting new career path in the industry, but also the opportunity to work towards a degree that allows the apprentices to learn and develop new skills while still receiving a paycheck,” said Emily Zeien, grant manager for ApprenticeshipNH. “The Omni Mount Washington Resort is demonstrating their commitment to their internal talent by developing this apprenticeship opportunity that allows employees to better themselves. Apprentices will have access to exceptional training and education resources that will prepare them to be successful in a new career,” Zeien said. “We applaud them for making such a significant investment in their workforce.”
To learn more about the ApprenticeshipNH program, including additional information on how your business can get involved, visit earnlearnnh.org, or contact Emily Zeien at apprenticeshipusanh@ccsnh.edu. For more information on the Bretton Woods Culinary Academy, visit brettonwoods.com/bwca. Application deadline for the next session is July 22.
