Education/training | Making Connections | Personal Advancement | Self-employment | Career Options

Education/training

Cooking up a batch of success

Combine equal parts intuitive educator with forward-thinking business, add a generous helping of provincial assistance, and mix well with a hard working student.

AUNIE EDWARDS

[ 2002-04-10 ]

Send to a friend

OYAP cooking apprentice W. Tyler (left) gets to develop and hone his culinary skills under the supervision of chef Chris Klugman.

The educator is Pat Suddons at Victoria Park Secondary School, the business is Summerhill Market, the funding vehicle is the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), the student is W. Tyler Lupton and the recipe is for success.

Lupton's journey as a cook apprentice began in senior high school.

"Pat Suddons was ecstatic about my interest in cooking because OYAP was offering a new cook apprentice program," Lupton says. "She runs co-op education at my school and put the whole thing together for me -- she's been truly amazing."

Lupton's education is also supported by a unique collaboration between George Brown College and the Toronto District School Board.

After completing a pre-placement course at George Brown, Lupton now attends classes at the college for two days a week and works at his placement on the remaining three.

On alternate Fridays, he studies at L'Amoreux Collegiate Institute under Maria Mammone, who runs the hospitality and tourism program for the school board.

In June, Lupton will graduate high school, attend another three-week block of classes at George Brown, and continue his three-year apprenticeship with a substantial head start.

The benefits of such a collaborative effort are endless, but ultimate success depends on the student.

"Tyler will do well," Mammone says. "He's faced with an opportunity to become employable anywhere in the world - I'd like to see him take this tremendous program as far as he can."

A confident endorsement, but even when the odds are good, Mammone doesn't leave much to chance. Knowing that compatible personalities are critical for an effective job placement, Mammone sets up more than one placement interview for each student, and creates combinations she believes are most likely to work.

"Ultimately, I want the student and employer to choose one another, rather than simply being assigned," Mammone explains. "A well-considered placement will result in more hands-on training for the student, more assistance for the employer and greater overall satisfaction for both."

Not surprisingly, Lupton has found such a placement with head chef Chris Klugman at Summerhill Market -- a gourmet prepared food and off-site catering service in Rosedale.

"Tyler is a bright young man with a great attitude," Klugman says. "He's got the drive and intelligence to do extremely well."

Lupton shares his employer's enthusiasm for the arrangement. "Summerhill Market is a great fit - it's a really busy place and I have a lot to learn here," says Lupton.

Presently working on basic skills and knowledge, Lupton spends two days a week with the butcher. "A chef makes large purchases of very expensive meat - he's got to know what he's doing," Klugman says. "Tyler's also learning about poultry, fish and seafood. Another fundamental skill involves soups and sauces and that's Tyler's next step."

Hands-on training demands a time commitment Klugman is pleased to contribute.

"I derive personal satisfaction from teaching -- especially someone like Tyler -- but in the interests of furthering our profession, it's also an obligation," Klugman says.

Evidently, Summerhill Market is exactly the kind of community-minded business that makes programs like OYAP possible. And for experts like Klugman, helping W. Tyler Lupton graduate high school with his ambitions alive and well and rooted in reality is just the icing on the cake.

Education requirements

Students must complete a minimum of three in-school credits per year.

Schools are required to monitor the program offered in the workplace to ensure it meets secondary school credit requirements.

To receive their high school diploma, students must still complete all compulsory credits.

Apprenticeship requirements

Students must be placed with a qualified employer.

Students must follow an on-the-job training program based on the specific standards for the trade. They may also receive related theoretical instruction.