Nestlé expands education program for young aspiring chefs
12 Aug 2020 --- More aspiring chefs worldwide are boosting their training, culinary skills and employment opportunities by joining the Worldchefs Academy, a free online program launched by Nestlé Professional and the World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs) in 2018. To mark this year’s International Youth Day celebrated today, Nestlé and Worldchefs announced that they would expand the languages the program is offered in to include Spanish and Portuguese as well as Arabic, Mandarin and Italian by the end of 2020.
With about 30 million young people worldwide dropping out of school each year, the Worldchefs Academy provides one accessible way to engage those who don’t have the means, mobility or flexibility to attend full-time culinary school or undertake an apprenticeship.
The Worldchefs Academy program is available to anyone, no matter their background or current skill set. It covers the basics of culinary professionalism, food service operations, culinary theory, food hygiene and sanitation, basic cooking and culinary nutrition.
The Worldchefs Academy program is available to anyone, no matter their background or current skill set. The first step to a culinary career
Users can download the enrolled course and study anytime, with or without an internet connection, before going back online when available to complete the final assessment. In as little as three months or less, young people can receive a Pre-Commis Chef certificate – so they are ready to apply for their first job in a professional kitchen.
Since 2018, 14,655 people have registered, and 3,298 of them have received Pre-Commis Chef certificates.
“The Worldchefs Academy is a solid and comprehensive base to learn the basics before entering a professional kitchen,” says Emmanuel Lorieux, Global Executive Chef for Nestlé Professional. “Extending its availability in different languages is important as there are many people who don’t speak or understand English. These new languages will help us to reach more people around the world. When travel is limited, connecting online is more crucial than ever,” he added.
“As part of the course, they learn culinary professionalism, proper food handling, how to dress and understand all the classic culinary terms. The more young people learn, the better they become and the more things they can do. Even the greatest chefs in a Michelin star restaurant started with some basic training,” Lorieux adds.
Engaging young people
Extending its reach to more young people worldwide highlights the importance of this year’s International Youth Day, which seeks to engage them at local, national and global levels – critical at a time when only 7 percent of the world’s population holds a college, university or trade qualification.
Development advisors representing Nestlé Professional and Worldchefs worked together to create Worldchefs Academy, which is available to anyone interested, willing to learn and able to spend the time.
Edited by Elizabeth Green
