Let’s nourish the next generation of skilled leaders
Restaurant Youth
Registered Apprenticeship
The Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship (RYRA) aims to connect young people to the nation’s second-largest private-sector employer — restaurants — through industry apprenticeships such as line cook, kitchen manager, restaurant manager, and complementary services that support growth and achievement. RYRA is offered in Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.*
How It Works
The program partners with State Restaurant Associations, ProStart and Restaurant Ready programs, education and training providers, and supportive service providers to advance participants on their path to success.
This grant is funded through a Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration.
Line Cook apprentices learn hard culinary skill sets, food safety and sanitation knowledge, and the fundamentals of inventory and supply management.
Kitchen Managers focus on supervisory and management training, product knowledge, restaurant leadership, and overall restaurant operations.
Restaurant Management apprentices gain skills in restaurant leadership, operations, financial management, and marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the benefits of apprenticeship?
A. For Employers, apprenticeship programs reduce turnover costs, increase productivity, create a more skilled, diverse and competitive workforce and offer customized support to create an apprenticeship program that meets each employer’s needs.
For Apprentices, apprenticeship programs allow participants to earn while you learn; access to nationally recognized credentials from the restaurant industry and the USDOL; are an affordable alternative to a four-year degree, without resulting in a six-figure college loan; an opportunity to gain front of the house and back of the house knowledge; and offer access to a sustainable career path, promotion, and leadership opportunities.
Q. What is the Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship (RYRA)?
A. The Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship (RYRA) aims to connect young people to the nation’s second-largest private sector employer –restaurants–through industry apprenticeships like line cook, kitchen manager, restaurant manager, and complementary services that support growth and achievement.
RYRA is offered in Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania. The program partners with State Restaurant Associations, ProStart and Restaurant Ready programs, education and training providers, and supportive service providers, among others.
Restaurant Management apprenticeship gain skills in restaurant leadership, operations, financial management, and marketing. Line Cook apprentices learn hard culinary skill sets, food safety and sanitation knowledge, and the fundamentals of inventory and supply management.
Q. What are the career tracks?
A. Currently, there are three apprenticeship career tracks, Line Cook, Kitchen Manager, Restaurant Manager, which offer benefits such as: on-the-job training in a restaurant setting; job-related education in a classroom setting or online; access to nationally recognized credentials from the restaurant industry and the USDO; and front-of-house and back-of-house knowledge.
Q. How do I become an Apprenticeship Employer?
Q. How do I get involved?
A. If you are a one of the above listed organizations operating in Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, or Pennsylvania, or a ProStart or Restaurant Ready participant in those states, please reach out to your State Restaurant Association Educational Foundation by visiting their website linked above.
Q. What does the restaurant industry and workforce currently look like?
A. Restaurants are the nation’s second-largest private-sector employer. One in three American’s had their first job in a restaurant. While restaurant staffing levels remain 2.1 million jobs below pre-coronavirus levels as a result of the recent slowdown, over 13 million people are still employed by the restaurant and foodservice industry.
In the five RYRA grant states of Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the restaurant and foodservice industry is a major economic driver, and employment opportunities for Restaurant Managers, Kitchen Managers, and Line Cooks are projected to grow significantly through 2026. Employers look to hire effectively trained staff for positions like management and line cook, which are essential to core business operations, have a low risk of automation, and are non-client facing.
Successful workforce development strategies, like apprenticeship, will be key to providing work-ready, industry-trained employees who can fill vacancies and grow within the industry.
Q. What is ProStart?
A. ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school culinary arts and restaurant program that reaches nearly 150,000 students in more than 1,900 high schools across the United States. Serving as a pre-apprenticeship program, ProStart students gain the industry-relevant skillsets, credentials, and leadership experience needed to be successful in an apprenticeship program after graduation.
State Restaurant Association Partners
RYRA Program Partner
U.S. Department of Labor: Office of Apprenticeship
The Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship (RYRA) is 100% funded through a $4,999,478.00 grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (AP-35087-20-60-A-11). This webpage content was created by NRAEF and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.
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