FERNDALE – If you find yourself walking down the street one day and the scent of gloriously-made food catches your attention it might just be graduates of HTA School of Culinary Art cooking up a storm at your local restaurant.
The school recently hosted their first-ever graduation ceremony for learners with disabilities. It was a day set on celebrating the accomplishments of 25 young individuals within society who have managed to surpass their own personal limitations and achieved a qualification in professional cookery.
HTA was honoured to have the learnership programme investors company, Tsebo Group Solutions, grace this event with a keynote address from Faith Mncube, the learnership manager for the group. She explained how they pride themselves in empowering the youth through skills development. “To the young graduates I say: Go out there, you are the future and congratulations.”
The school’s managing director, chef Stephen Billingham congratulated the class on all the effort and work that went into them finally graduating. “You now have a solid qualification, but even more important, you have a year’s work experience,” he said.
This learnership programme aimed to guarantee that graduates get a job which is what the programme did. “Thanks to the programme we have now created 25 more fulltime jobs, therefore, assisting the economy and the industry,” said Billingham.
He added that this also meant the young chefs can now open up their own catering companies.
HTA and Tsebo Solutions Group would like to congratulate all the deserving graduates and the two institutions are looking forward to many more learnerships.