Cerritos College Culinary Arts Students and Alumni Get Hired through Job and Training Partnership
NORWALK, Calif.- The Cerritos College Economic Development and the Culinary Arts programs, in partnership with Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board (SELACO WIB) and the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), are working to recruit and fill over a hundred jobs with qualified individuals in openings at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The positions vary from retail to culinary openings at stores and restaurants.
In the first round of recruitment, many candidates were Culinary Arts students and alumni entering cooking positions at the restaurants in existing LAX terminals or at the soon -to-open Tom Bradley International terminal. These restaurants are owned by well-known concession companies and the jobs offer competitive pay with benefits provided by the company, through membership with the UNITE HERE Local 11 labor union.
The partnership also recently established a pilot training program for LAX restaurants' newly hired cooks led by the Cerritos College Culinary Arts Chair and Chef Michael Pierini. The training was held at Cerritos College Culinary Arts kitchen during the summer. Chef Pierini, along with Angela Reid from HTA, provided an intense 35-hour preparation course for the experienced cooks to get exposure to the menus of the restaurants they will be working for as well as receive an introduction to employment at LAX and the Union. Fourteen individuals attended and completed the training. Of these participants, seven were students or alumni of Cerritos College.
"We look forward to performing more contracted training opportunities that provide additional support for the Culinary Arts program and we want to help prepare future candidates for their new jobs," said Belle Gomez, director of Community Advancement at Cerritos College. According to Gomez, more jobs openings are underway and SELACO is working as the recruiter and pre-screener for the openings with HTA and LAX concession companies. For more information about the program, contact Gomez at (562) 860-2451 ext. 2510.
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