As you may have seen in some of our bi-weekly email communications, we have been working with the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) since Fall of last year to help write and develop the curriculum for a new training program through the ACCS Innovation Center. ACCS received a $1 Million grant from the state to create web based, self-paced training (also including a one day in-person lab accompanying each industry training).
Gateway helped pilot the first of 23 industry trainings across the state, which was the Food and Beverage Services course. Panini Pete’s Restaurant Group was the first to pilot the training, which took an average of 5 hours to complete for the online portion, and then used the culinary facility at Coastal Alabama Community College for the 8 hour in-person lab day. Upon completion the trainee received an ACCS credential which can count towards college credit, and an extensive knowledge of how a restaurant works, while understanding the upward mobility in all positions.
As we know, the restaurant and lodging industries were hit hard during the pandemic, especially in our area. The Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Association (ARHA) partnered with this state-wide credentialing incentive to provide this training for free in the industries on Food & Beverage Services, Accomodations & Recreation Services, and Facilities Maintenance Technician.
If you are interested in assisting the ACCS with developing relevant training for your future or current new hires, for FREE, please fill out this employer interest form today. To date there have been 130+ certificate completions placed into jobs across the state. We have seen and believe this training will be a very important aspect of building our workforce in south Baldwin County.
