Training to be used at Job Corps centers across the country to attract and retain restaurant workers

Washington, DC – August 31, 2023 – The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) today announced a partnership with Alaska Job Corps Center to develop and pilot career technical training curriculum and job opportunities for young workers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The collaboration is intended to produce a standardized culinary-focused career technical training program to instruct skilled, ready-to-work students in similar Job Corps programs across the country.

The partnership will combine the NRAEF’s apprenticeship programs with the Alaska Job Corps Center’s culinary arts technical training curriculum, which serves Alaska adults between the ages of 16 and 24. The NRAEF will also help design a new standardized curriculum to facilitate job opportunities for Alaska students.

“Our partnership with Alaska Job Corps is a crucial step in our goal of providing a robust restaurant-industry focused technical training curriculum at Job Corps sites across the country,” said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF. “Our industry remains one of immense opportunity, and we are optimistic this work will provide the necessary framework to help solve for future restaurant workforce needs.” 

Malyn Smith, The Alaska Job Corps Center Director commented, “We are so excited to begin this partnership with the NRAEF. The tourism sector in Alaska is growing substantially and the opportunities for Alaskans in the hospitality industry are at an all-time high. The Culinary Arts training at the Alaska Job Corps Center is one of our flagship trainings and this apprenticeship partnership with NRAEF will take it to a higher and unprecedented level.”

As a designated Apprenticeship Ambassador by the U.S. Department of Labor, the NRAEF is at the forefront of workforce development efforts in the restaurant and hospitality industry.  Launched in 2021 in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, the NRAEF’s Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center facilitates Line Cook, Kitchen Manager, and Restaurant Manager apprenticeship programs at 118 industry employer partners. RHLC programming currently includes:   

• Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship (HSRA), the first-ever apprenticeship program specifically for the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industries; 

• Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship (RYRA), which connects high school students and young adults ages 17-24 living in Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, and Maryland who are enrolled in the NRAEF’s ProStart or Restaurant Ready career readiness programs to restaurant management or line cook career paths; and 

• Veteran Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform Act (VALOR), which supports transitioning military service members with direct entryways into restaurant management, and access to benefits including tax-free housing stipends and regular pay increases.

About The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) 

As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF’s charitable mission includes enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s 2022 Annual Impact Report.

About Job Corps 

Job Corps’ mission is to educate and train highly-motivated young people for successful careers in the nation’s fastest-growing industries. Job Corps is the largest nationwide residential career training program in the country and has been operating for more than 50 years. The program helps eligible young people ages 16 through 24 complete their high school education, trains them for meaningful careers, and assists them with obtaining employment. Job Corps has trained and educated over two million individuals since 1964. At Job Corps, students have access to room and board while they learn skills in specific training areas for up to three years. In addition to helping students complete their education, obtain career technical skills and gain employment, Job Corps also provides transitional support services, such as help finding employment, housing, child care, and transportation. Job Corps graduates either enter the workforce or an apprenticeship, go on to higher education, or join the military. 

About Alaska Job Corps Center  

At Alaska Job Corps Center (AKJCC), we support the Job Corps program through stewardship provided by Chugach Training and Educational Solutions. The mission is to teach eligible young people the skills they need to become employable and independent and place them in meaningful jobs or further education.  Located in beautiful Palmer, Alaska, the AKJCC offers training in eight different trades for 226 young Alaskans ages 16-24.  In addition to Culinary Arts, The AKJCC offers building and construction technology, certified medical assistant, certified nursing assistant, electrical, security and protective services, water/wastewater treatment and welding.  The AKJCC is a 365/24/7 program that provides dorm rooms, meals and transportation. https://www.jobcorps.gov/center/alaska-job-corps-center 

About Chugach Training and Educational Solutions  

For more than 25 years, Chugach has dedicated our services to helping disadvantaged youth obtain their education, training, and career dreams.  Through first-rate operations of Department of Labor’s Job Corps program, Chugach has helped thousands of economically disadvantaged youth break the barriers to their success.  They are able to earn their diploma while obtaining credentials in a career technical training of their choice.  Because at-promise youth have more challenges to overcome than those who are not, Chugach provides a multitude of services to ensure their success including housing and counseling services so they are in a safe and supportive environment.  Once our students reach completion we help them obtain advanced training, employment, continued education into college or enrollment in the military.  We take great pride in being a part of their transformation into successful and confident young adults.

CONTACT:

Hannah Oliver
holiver@nraef.org