ETC’s Yes Chef Apprenticeship Program popular with restaurant

Wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney city life, Chef Mitch Grady decided to move to the country and open a new restaurant ‘Popla’ in Bellingen with his business partner.

“We weren’t really looking for any staff, but then we were contacted by an aspiring Chef – Hannah Newnham. Despite not having much industry experience, it was her passion, eagerness and drive that really impressed us. Plus she had the same beliefs as us – so we signed her up to ETC’s Yes Chef Apprenticeship Program,” Mitch said.

Yes Chef is a fresh, innovative program developed by ETC and is set to tackle the industry’s skills shortage issue and bring a more personalised approach to Commercial Cookery Apprenticeships.

ETC Business Relationship Manager for Traineeships, Ingrid Johansen said Yes Chef was based on feedback from locals in the industry.

“We understand that all businesses and Apprentices are different – one size doesn’t fit all,” Ms Johansen said.

Mitch said the Yes Chef model was more flexible than other Apprenticeships he had experienced in the past that were quite rigid and structured.

“It doesn’t feel like an Apprenticeship as Hannah is free to do her own work on her own time and doesn’t need an extra day off,” said Mitch.

“Hannah is amazing at what she does and has such a great work ethic. She’s always trying hard and wants to get everything perfect.”

“It’s great having an Apprentice – The fulfilment of teaching someone a new skill and guiding them towards their future is really cool. You work together to help them to achieve their goal.”

Are you looking to start an Apprentice Chef?

Select the ingredients that best suit your business’s needs by designing your own training model.

• Training and Assessment is delivered in the workplace. We come to you! So no more having to send your staff offsite for training 1 day per week.
• We offer rolling intakes so your Apprentices can start at any time.
• You decide what areas of training your Apprentice most needs.
• Select your own Apprentice or recruit from our pool of Pre-Apprentice trained students.
• Employer incentives of up to $5000 may be available to eligible Employers.

To find out more contact Ingrid Johansen on 0447 162 970 or visit YES CHEF