Toi Ohomai student Daeshance Cooke, 18, head chef Bipin Scaria, 33, dean of faculty Bart Vosse and cafeteria manager Alok Sharma, 33. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua’s newest city center cafe hopes to help revitalize a hospitality industry struggling with a nationwide staffing “crisis”.
The Junction on Fenton, located within the iSite building on Fenton Street, will officially open to the public
Monday.
The project led by Toi Ohomai and Te Pūkenga, supported by Rotorua Lakes Council, will provide real-life training opportunities for the next generation of hospitality workers.
The project also hopes to help recruit and retain more people in an industry that has struggled with closing borders and finding staff to fill positions.
It comes as enrollments on hospitality courses at its Tauranga and Rotorua campuses continue to decline since the 2020 outbreak of Covid-19.
Toi Ohomai Faculty of Business Design and Service Industries Dean Bart Vosse said The Junction on Fenton was not a training cafe but a full commercial business with the philosophy of showcasing the industry and supporting its students.
Industry insiders were expected to visit the cafe, witness the budding talent and eventually offer them a job after graduation, Vosse said.
“We want to be able to be that connection between recruitment and the revitalization of the sector.”
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Vosse said the project had been four years in the making and followed discussions with industry leaders who wanted to raise standards in the hospitality industry.
Feedback indicated that graduates needed to be more “employment-ready” for the fast-paced world of commercial hospitality, he said.
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The new cafeteria will provide students at each of its campuses in Rotorua, Taupō, Tauranga, Tokoroa and Whakatāne with a realistic and hands-on learning experience.
Junior staff will be able to complete industry apprenticeships in the cafe, while Toi Ohomai students will gain work experience and training as part of their course. It will be managed and managed by experienced senior staff.
Vosse said there had been a drop in domestic students over the years and the Covid-19 border closures meant there had been a significant reduction in migrants coming to New Zealand to study hospitality.
The industry needed hospitality staff more than ever, he said.
“There is a crisis in hospitality for the workforce…”
The polytechnic was getting 15 to 20 calls a day from hospitality owners as far away as Auckland looking for staff, he said.
“The industry is terrible. They’ve come off two of their toughest business years.
“The community feels that a career in this industry is no longer viable.
“But we need hospitality to thrive.”
The cafeteria will be able to show hospitality students what the industry had to offer, how vibrant it was and the opportunities there were, Vosse said.
“Because when the borders open again… we have to show that a career in hospitality is a good option.
“This is how we can revitalize the workforce.”
The council owns the iSite building. In March 2021, he agreed to add an outdoor area to the site to ensure the success of the cafe establishment and the realization of the associated benefits to the district and the community.
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The district’s deputy executive director of development, Jean-Paul Gaston, said the partnership with Toi Ohomai was a great opportunity to “further integrate the council’s commitment to a thriving city, helping to activate our historic building iSite and Place Jean Batten”.
“This is an exciting venture and I’m really looking forward to seeing the cafe used as a training center to support our local hospitality sector and the retention of local students in the long term.”
Toi Ohomai offers courses including certificates and diplomas in baking, cooking, food and beverage, and the art of coffee and barista services.
There were 19 students enrolled at its Mokoia campus in Rotorua, down from 23 in 2021 and 33 in 2020.
In Tauranga, there were 38 students enrolled at its Windemere campus. There were 36 students in 2021 and 50 in 2020.
Restaurant Association of New Zealand chief executive Marisa Bidois said the cafe was a great initiative and a fantastic opportunity for people in the region looking to break into the industry.
“Our staff shortage is well documented and while we are working hard in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development on training through our HospoStart and Springboard programmes, the reality is that we also need more public-private partnerships like this to train people to work. ready.”
Bidois said he is helping to create long-term change, he has a road map that guides him to the renaissance of the industry and to a stronger and more resilient industry.
“We know that no one organization can implement change on its own, so we are engaging with key industry stakeholders including industry operators, business organisations, training providers, trade unions, regional tourism organizations and more , as well as a wider network of stakeholders including ministers and government departments.
“We need the support of others if we want to build a hospitality sector that is truly fit for the future.”
Meanwhile, Hospitality New Zealand has announced an ‘Emerging Leaders Programme’, which aims to engage workers as soon as they enter the industry and give them easy access to skills development, career paths and progression.
The aim is to provide current and future supervisors and managers with knowledge, information and ideas on how to develop their leadership skills. Courses will be taught online.
Hospitality NZ has partnered with renowned hospitality expert Shane Green to bring the program to the industry.
Chief executive Julie White said the sector needed people who were future-ready, valued for their skills, confident, committed to their work and invested in staying in the sector.
“Our industry is known for training people on the job, and operators do a great job with the support of our online courses, and this goes a step further.
“With severe skills shortages across the industry and limits on skilled immigrants, we need to increase the skills of those who want to pursue a career in this great industry, and the Emerging Leaders Program aims to do just that.” .
White said the format of the program allowed teams to improve together and will embed a culture of development and excellence.
“It is an exciting program that I believe will go a long way to making our industry more resilient.
“It’s an investment in the future of people in the hospitality industry”
From hospitality students to teachers
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Former Toi Ohomai students Alok Sharma and Bipin Scaria are putting their skills and knowledge to work for the next generation of hospitality workers.
The 33-year-olds graduated from Waiariki Institute of Technology, now Toi Ohomai, and had returned to help run the new cafe. Sharma will be the cafe manager and Bipin will be the head chef.
Sharma said it was a “dream come true” to work for the industry he was a student in and help train the next generation of hospitality workers.
“It’s a business I should consider.”
She said she hoped to pass on the best customer service skills she had learned to future students.
Bipin said it was a good opportunity for students to learn and train under expert guidance and feel supported in a fast-paced environment.
“I will also encourage aspiring chefs to experiment with food and create their own dishes.”
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Daeshance Cooke was one of those aspiring chefs.
The culinary student was only months into his training and couldn’t wait to show what he was made of.
“With food, it’s about showing a part of yourself, your culture on a plate.”
The 18-year-old said he hopes to one day become a good chef and travel the world with his food and flavors.
Cooke said he liked the adrenaline rush of a busy kitchen and the “passion that goes into food.”
He said he liked the new cafeteria as it would give students the opportunity to train with the full support of their on-site tutors.
“It’s a free, real-life experience.”