AMMAN - The Kingdom on Wednesday announced the opening of a culinary arts academy aimed at turning out quality graduates vital to the future of the region's fast-growing hospitality industry.
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA), a Jordanian nonprofit educational institution affiliated with Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland, is the first institution of its kind in the region.
During the launch yesterday, RACA Director Anton Wursch said the academy was a school for anyone looking to build a solid foundation for a career in culinary and hospitality management.
"Being a culinary expert is not about simply creating a delicious dish, but managing an entire operation... people, resources and assets," said Wursch, who has 37 years of experience in the food and beverage field.
"The needs of this industry are challenging, diverse and demanding can be gruelling without these skills," he added.
Wursch, who began his career in Switzerland as a culinary expert, has wide-ranging experience working for international hotel chains in England, Australia, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa. As regional executive chief for all the six Hyatt Hotels in Mexico, he was responsible for the ensuring the delivery of quality cuisine in 29 food outlets with 480 chefs.
He continued his career before settling in 2002 as the Practical Programmes and Food and Beverage Manager for Hotel Operations at Les Roches.
With over 25 years of experience in hospitality education, Les Roches is among the world's top three institutions in hotel management. The school has over 1,000 students from 70 countries with 200 graduating each year.
It is also part of the Laureate International Universities, which have a presence in 15 countries and serve nearly 300,000 students worldwide.
With peer schools in the US, Spain, Malaysia and China, Jordan is the first in the region under Les Roches' expansion plans, which are set to see a total of 15 affiliated schools by 2015.
The Jordanian university college offers a two-year culinary diploma that includes both practical and theoretical aspects. With a range of 19 courses touching upon the latest needs of the industry, the programme covers areas from food hygiene and cleaning science, to materials management, cost control, kitchen administration and quality management.
According to the director, the academy's programme includes four trimesters with a total of 750 hours of crafts-based learning and 624 hours of theoretical learning. The first two trimesters are on campus, the third an internship, the fourth and fifth back on campus and the final trimester an internship. Some of the country's top hotels have already agreed to take on the academy's students during these internship stages.
As a country that is steadily building its tourism industry, the Kingdom continues to face a shortage of skilled workers to meet this sector's requirements.
Today, several megaprojects under way are paving the way for the eventual opening of around 150 culinary establishments in the country over the next four years.
RACA Project Manager Rajaie Al Khaiyat said the boom is expected to create at least 1,000 culinary management jobs, noting that the academy's strong programme and facilities will prepare the course for that.
He said the academy will be staffed with highly qualified Swiss instructors and equipped with distinctive technologies, including seven learning centres, an exclusive culinary library, restaurant and banqueting areas and other facilities.
The academy also offers language and IT training.
Culinary tourism has been turning into a popular niche in the global travel industry, creating thousands of jobs as hospitality enterprises grow. According to the RACA, culinary industry sales worldwide are expected to grow 7 per cent annually, with projections of at least 1.8 million jobs created in the US alone in the next 10 years.
Wursch said the Kingdom, which is seeing its own hospitality industry boom, does not have a sufficiently skilled workforce prepared for that.
"In this situation, you're either going to open the door to foreign labour or hire locals. The Royal Academy for Culinary Arts is going to provide students with the relevant skills that will render them employable in this growing field," he added.
According to Wursch, chefs with a culinary degree are expected to further influence the growth of salary scales in this field over the next five years. The RACA director said he knew some senior executive Jordanian chefs working in international hotel chains who were already earning JD4,000 a month.
The academy has started accepting applications for those interesting in joining the trimester opening in September and also for January and May of next year. Wursch said the academy was looking for qualified, committed students with a passion for this profession.
Tawjihi graduates with a score of over 500 on their TOEFL can apply and acceptance will be based on interviews.
RACA officials said they expect to bring 36 students on board in the first batch before expanding to the academy's full capacity of around 300 students in the first two years. The cost of annual tuition is JD10,000 and the academy offers limited scholarships that could reach up to 100 per cent for those who possess the right qualifications.
By Dalya Dajani
© Jordan Times 2008
