For the most part, educational and training programs are providing food service practitioners with the necessary and appropriate technical skills to perform their jobs. However, it is the lack of life skills that must be addressed in order to improve the image problem of the food service industry. Life skills training concerning social, cultural and ethics should reduce turnover, increase productivity, and raise the image of the industry as a career occupation.

The foremost food service fear of consumers and regulatory agencies is that proper sanitation may not be practiced by the kitchen and wait staff. A recent conference, Bio Terrorism in the Food Supply, concluded that proper sanitation procedures would reduce these risks immensely. Increasing awareness of the need for proper safety and sanitation procedures, coupled with training food service practitioners in correct sanitation methods, will reduce anxiety among the public and increase industry compliance with existing regulations.

MISSION

The project’s primary mission is to bring about a complete rethinking of the educational needs of workers and managers in the food service industry and to develop new and strengthened educational programs and delivery systems. These objectives will be achieved via a regional training program offered by collaborating educational institutions. Government agencies, industry partners, and two- and four-year educational institutions are working together for a better trained and educated workforce that can provide improved customer service and safer, healthier food service.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Improve Customer Service and Employee Life Skills

A primary goal is to positively impact the lives of food service practitioners by teaching them industry-specific skills and life skills that are transferable to other industries. This would allow the individuals to grow from an educational standpoint, equipping them to pursue higher aspirations. In pursuit of this goal, the following training modules were developed:

• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
• Essentials of SAFESERV
• Customer Service for Food Service Employees
• Professional Wait Staff Certification
• Customer Service for Retail Business
• Customer Service for Hospitality Employees
• Bar-Code Certification
• Serving It Safe USDA Certification

Each module has been converted to a PowerPoint format for replication and consistency. Training programs have been presented in four of these seven areas. More than 100 sessions have been presented to more than 2,000 food service practitioners in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. All courses include a strong emphasis on customer service, teamwork, and communication skills.

IMPACT

Post-training surveys indicate that individuals who have taken the training believe the content is applicable to their ability to perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently. They believe in the value of training and believe there is a need for more training in numerous areas. Employers have praised the training results and many have scheduled follow-up sessions for additional employees. For example, the 10-hour sanitation module was initially offered for some of the employees of the Newark Preschool System. It was eventually expanded and repeated several times to allow all their employees to attend.

RELEVANCE

Improvement of the Food Service Industry Image

The outlook for a career in food service improves as employees and managers internalize the training they have received. All presentations weave training in life skills with the technical training segments. Employees trained in life skills display a more positive image of their job and their own workplace, while customers who are served by trained employees have a more satisfying experience and are likely to recommend the business to other potential customers.

Regional Training Offered by Collaborating Educational Institutions

The modules have been adapted for use by the American School Food Service Association, Monmouth and Ocean County Food Bank, and Hunterdon County Polytech School System. Future projects of the Food System Consortium are expected to draw upon these modules as user-friendly and readily available practical material.

In the past, Mercer County Community College, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County (NY), Bucks County Community College, and Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension have provided training. Sharing data on successes with Cooperative Extension sites and continuing education units of community colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region was accomplished in May of 2003. To encourage replication of the model, the offering of assistance and collaboration to other institutions in a like manner would, ideally, utilize modules already created.

• ACADEMIC PARTNERS:
  Bucks County Community College; Cornell University; Mercer County Community College; New York Institute of Technology; Rutgers University
• INDUSTRY PARTNERS:
  American Culinary Federation; Aramark at Rider University; Food Emporium; Doral Forrestal Conference Center/Princeton; Marriott Hotels; Merrill Lynch Conference & Training Center; Princeton Tower Club; Taco Bell Restaurants of Hamilton; Wakefern Food Corporation
• GOVERNMENTAL PARTNERS:
  American School Food Service Association; Bucks County Department of Tourism; Food & Agriculture Biosecurity Initiative; Rutgers' Cook College/New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station; Mercer County Workforce Investment Board; Monmouth and Ocean County Food Bank; New Jersey Department of Health; New Jersey Department of Labor; New Jersey Department of Tourism; Princeton Department of Health; Sullivan County Visitors Association, Inc.; Sullivan County Workforce Development Board