Career Path for Cookery student
For the past 4 years HLC has offered the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4 programme, in partnership with UCOL. This popular programme is valuable to prepare students for work in the demanding restaurant industry.
Recently one of our students got his first full time job offer. We sat down with Curtis Sturley to hear his story.
When Curtis first came to HLC, he had had some experience in hospitality as a kitchen hand and at McDonalds. It was during a visit to his local Doctor where Curtis learned about the Chef programme and thought it sounded like him and he signed up.
He said that the course felt really daunting at first, but he soon realised that it was mind over matter and he could do the course. He says he got great support from Lenore, the tutor. Whenever he doubted himself, she was there to tell him straight up what he had done wrong and took care to explain why it happened so he could learn for the future. Curtis says that Lenore goes above and beyond for her students which has prepared him well for life’s various challenges.
Curtis found the small class numbers was great for him and he gets on really well with them all. They have become like a little family over the year.
He has learnt so much this year including: How to use equipment safely, many life skills such as time management, how to stick to a roster, how to maintain a kitchen and how to cook many different types of dishes. They started by cutting onions and went on to making delectable dishes such as braised lamb shanks.
During the year, the class got practical experience working on the restaurant nights in HLC’s training restaurant – Graduates. Curtis learned not to overthink the process of cooking for the public, and the experience of taking on different tasks each night was invaluable.
It wasn’t long after the course started when Covid-19 struck New Zealand. Before the students knew it, they were in lockdown with the rest of the country. However, the learning did not stop, with the tutor carrying on teaching the students using Google Classroom. She also shopped for ingredients for the students and even weighed them out and delivered them so the team could keep practising their skills during this time. When the class resumed after lockdown, they were chuffed to find that they passed their first assessment with flying colours – so the extra effort paid off. Curtis found that recording the lessons was very helpful too so that if you did miss a class, you could easily catch up.
The next challenge was a big move of campus – HLC now operates at 102 Liverpool Street, Levin. The site was the old Horowhenua Hospital and has been renovated to suit a learning environment. Curtis says the new kitchen is fantastic, it is a huge space with plenty of room for cooking without bumping into each other. He loves that you no longer have to wait to use the hobs or for an oven and the students no longer bump into each other and get to manage their own space.
Through word of mouth, Curtis was thrilled to get a full time job in the industry he loves. After course finishes in late November, he will start at Rendezvous Restaurant in Palmerston North as a Commis Chef. Working for such an established restaurant will be a great learning experience and he can’t wait to start.
Curtis says if you are thinking about doing the Cookery course, commit to it and get stuck in, for those people that are eligible for fees free training – this course is a great one to use the free year for, so make sure you value it and use it well. For those that prefer an active job, this course is perfect. We wish Curtis all the best for his future.
We are now taking enquiries for 2021 programmes, including the NZ Certificate in Cookery Level 4 programme. Enquire now, call 0800 368 1095 or visit www.hlc.ac.nz
Curtis Sturley during one of his assessments