The unemployment rate in Lamoille County stands to drop nearly 1 percent thanks to a job-training program initiated and funded by the food-service provider at Johnson State College (JSC).
Modeled after a similar initiative developed by the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and the Vermont Foodbank, the eight-week program is training 10 of the estimated 1,100 unemployed Lamoille County residents in the culinary arts and kitchen skills. Trainees attend class and work side-by-side with professional chefs at JSC, helping to run the kitchen and create meals served at JSC and other events.
The idea for the program started last winter, when Aramark, the company contracted to provide food services at JSC, began providing the meals for the Johnson Community Meals program. That program offers a free lunch to residents on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the United Church of Johnson.
‘We were committed to the program and wanted it to grow, so we came up with a food-training aspect to make the program more self-sufficient,’ says Tadd Stone, director of Aramark at JSC. Now in addition to helping to prepare and serve the food at JSC, participants prepare and serve the food at the biweekly community luncheons.
As Stone explains, the training program at JSC evolved from an understanding that a lot of people were out of work in Lamoille County and that his organization was able to help. ‘Basically, we saw the need to help some of our out-of-work neighbors trained and back in the workforce,’ he says. ‘In addition, we struggle to find good candidates each fall to open up for the school year. We decided to offer this eight-week course to meet both of these goals.’
Stone and Aramark Assistant Director James Consentino created the training curriculum and presented it to JSC, which enthusiastically signed on. The college provides
the kitchen and covers related expenses, while Aramark provides the training, the food and uniforms for each of the participants ‘ as well as a set of professional kitchen tools and knives for each to keep.
Stone and Consentino are committed to 100 percent job placement at the end of the program. ‘We’re working with local businesses to arrange internships, and we expect many of them will want to hire our participants,’ says Stone. Aramark itself plans to hire four to five of the trainees at JSC after classes begin August 22.
The program started June 20. Under Consentino’s direction, participants are learning food preparation, basic knife skills, kitchen safety, professional presentation and demeanor, and related topics.
On Wednesday, July 27, the group will prepare and serve the Johnson Community Meal from 11:30-12:30 p.m. at the Johnson United Church. The following week, each participant will complete a four-day internship with a Lamoille County business or restaurant. The group will graduate August 12, after which participants will be qualified to apply for ServSafe certification, a nationally accredited program sought by food-service employers.
Aramark received a Workforce Education and Training Fund (WETF) grant from the state that covers the cost of liability insurance and a stipend for participants. ‘We initially planned to cover all the costs, because it’s something that we believe in,’ Stone says. ‘But the state was very excited about the prospects of the program and wanted to help.’
For participant David Coffey of Morrisville, one of the highlights of the eight-week training is the opportunity to serve the Johnson Community Meals program. ‘It feels great knowing that we were helping people in the community,’ he said following the July 13 luncheon. (The group prepared and served more than 63 people that day and expect an even larger turnout at the July 27 meal.)
As the end of the program approaches, Stone and Consentino are making plans to continue and even expand the initiative next summer. At this point all four of the Vermont state colleges -- Lyndon, Castleton and Vermont Tech in addition to JSC ‘ are planning to host a similar program, with Consentino as overall coordinator. ‘If you figure 10 to 20 students in each class, we’ll be helping 40 to 80 Vermont residents find employment,’ Stone notes.
JSC Dean of Administration Sharron Scott says that Johnson State College is fully committed to the program. ‘What we’ve seen so far has been amazing,’ she says. ‘We’ve seen individual participants really blossom from their very first day here, to how they’re feeling behind the line now. The program is a wonderful opportunity for individuals who are currently unemployed, and it is great opportunity for the college to give back as well.’
Source: 7-22-2011, Johnson State College