WEST POINT CULINARY ARTS and complement the most current version of the ProStart curriculum, Mississippi’s current curriculum provides students both classroom-based and real-life opportunities to master a combination of technical knowledge and managerial skills.
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According to Dianne Different, state coordinator of Family and Consumer Sciences (a career cluster that includes the Culinary Arts program), the updates to the Culinary Arts curriculum are part of a new approach that has two primary focuses: (1) facilitating all Culinary Arts instructors achieving ProStart certification and (2) incorporating the national ProStart exams as part of student assessment to encourage student certification. “MDE’s hope is that every student that completes the 2-year program will obtain the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement,” said Different. To earn the national certification, students must pass two ProStart exams, demonstrate mastery of required skills and work 400 hours in a mentored internship. Although demanding, earning the certification provides an excellent foundation for students to pursue postsecondary culinary education and careers, and it is recognized industry-wide. In fact, according to the ProStart website, students who earn the certification are then eligible for NRAEF and other scholarships as well as articulation and work-experience credits for culinary arts programs at several colleges and universities in the nation. Early and Different both acknowledge that their collaboration with the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association has been critical to the strength of the Culinary Arts programs in the state. This partnership provides Prostartbased expert training for teachers and students as well as future jobs for the students who complete the programs.
Help wanted: Thriving hospitality and restaurant businesses need Culinary Arts graduates In Mississippi, the hospitality and restaurant industry is booming, creating a demand for Culinary Arts graduates. The Culinary Arts program at WPCTC demonstrates the depth and
2013 PROPULSE TRAINING DATES PROPULSE BASICS CLASS: MARCH 18 - APRIL 14
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spectrum of knowledge and skills that the new state curriculum is designed to provide in order to help prepare students for ProStart certification and answer the call for practitioners of the culinary arts. In the process, the program and its graduates, like others in the state, are revising perceptions about the value and need for career and technical education. “Years ago, I think sometimes there was a misconception that our students who couldn’t do anything else went to vocational education, but that is not the case. Culinary is a very highskilled type career in most areas. It demands the technology, the math, and the English skills and problem solving,” reminded Early. She acknowledges that not every student who participates in the Culinary Arts program ultimately chooses that career path; however, she noted proudly that even if students pursue a different career or studies, many still use what they learn in the program to secure culinary arts jobs that support them while they are in college, and still others eventually return to the field. And even in these difficult economic times, it is a field with opportunities outpacing general job growth in the country. “It’s a thriving industry; it survives good and bad times; therefore, those jobs are still there. They may fluctuate some, but there are still opportunities,” Early said. In fact, according to statistics from the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast, 12.9 million people, or 10% of the U.S. workforce, are employed in the restaurant industry, a number expected to rise by 1.4 million jobs in the next decade. The NRA also reported in their 2012 Mississippi Restaurant Industry at a Glance that in the state of Mississippi, every additional $1 million in restaurant sales generates 30.1 jobs for the state. With that consistently growing demographic, restaurant service and other culinary careers will continue to contribute to the economic recovery and growth of communities nationwide. The Culinary Arts program at WPCTC and others like it in Mississippi demonstrate what an impact career and technical education can have in students’ lives. Lanell Early has dedicated her teaching career to helping her students prepare for careers in the culinary arts. In fact, through CTE, she has provided them opportunities to learn and discover that better prepare them for national certification exams, further studies or immediate employment than any academics-only approach could achieve. And the outlook is bright, especially for the students who have been expertly trained through programs like the one at WPCTC. Perhaps even the next chef superstar will be among them.
2013 MS-CPAS2 TESTING DATES SECONDARY: APRIL 8-26 POSTSECONDARY: APRIL 1-5
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