Waiter/Server Training Programme Relaunched
The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Patrice Minors is encouraging unemployed individuals who want to work to sign up for the 2013 Waiter/Server Retraining Programme. The deadline for applicants is November 30, 2012.
Last year this time, the Ministry in conjunction with the Bermuda Hotel Association and the Restaurant Division of the Chamber of Commerce introduced the hospitality jobs programme with an aim to fill waiter/server positions within the industry.
Minister Minors said, “Last year, this initiative was able to place 60 Bermudians in hospitality jobs. As a responsible Government we have devised many programmes to expose unemployed persons to viable employment opportunities. What we have realized is that we have had to work with employers more closely because it is in everyone’s best interest to employ more Bermudians.
“There is a need to educate and help people adapt to the new realities of the Bermuda economy and the employment opportunities that are available and we will continue to assist those who are require it, to cope and adapt to these continued economic circumstances.”
The waiter/server programme is open to all persons seeking to pursue a career as a waiter or server. No experience is required and the training programme is being offered at no cost to the trainee.
Minister Minors continued, “Those who are employed as Waiter/Servers in our hospitality industry are on the front lines of ensuring that our visitors have a memorable experience here in Bermuda. Granted, the work can sometimes be tasking, however those who are accomplished waiter/servers have said that for them it has been nothing but a rewarding experience. They are in essence our tourism ambassadors for Bermuda. So it is our goal to prepare a pool of talented Bermudians available for employers when they begin their selection process for the 2013 season and beyond.
“Individuals who work hard at this programme are guaranteed a job, and it is my hope that they will take advantage of this opportunity. This is a chance for Bermudians to excel in an occupation that they may have otherwise overlooked. This programme can assist with their entry into the hospitality industry, but it certainly does not prevent them. Once they’ve gained some experience, their opportunities are endless in exploring other options within the industry.”
Interested persons, particularly those who are unemployed and who want to work are encouraged to contact the Department of Labour and Training or the National Training Board and get signed up.
The “Waiter/Server Retraining Programme” is designed for those with minimum dining room experience and it covers basic food, wine and beverage service.
The standard of performance for the techniques of service presented, as a part of this programme, is based on the International Business & Gourmet Standards of Hospitality (IBGS). Additionally, the beverage service standards portion of this course, which is also included in the IBGS Standards, has received The International Sommelier Guild (ISG) Seal of Approval.
Interested persons can contact 297-7714 or 292-3700 and sign up for the programme.
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So these things are not ongoing …they are randomly as and when or one offs….can’t be that much demand for them.
Oh ther eis an election…forgot about that.
Yipiedidodaday! Thank you Patrice Minors. Waiting here i COME!
Let’s look at the cost of this program vs. the use to people using it.
As I see it. Your 6m Job Corps could definitely provide a lot of jobs….when looking at the estimated figures by the OBA of young peoples wages, we’ll say 30,000/35,000 per yr, you could fund…171 young persons for one year working….not to mention that one years experience in the field is just as/if not better than a job corps experience.
Try funding half of a wage for a company, you could provide jobs for double the numbers at that rate! AND give the student the opportunity to be hired by the same company.
not to mention, helping small companies through the hard times with extra, cheaper, labour for themselves.
Now we may have companies trying to take advantage of this…such as Bermuda Healthcare Services and Island Construction. But they can be weeded out as they come…
Job Corps is just another foreign company squeezing money out of our country that we don’t really have. This will not do anything but raise our debts up. The company that will provide the Job Corps program for Bermuda has done so for a handful of states in the U.S. with a charge of 70 million & all those states are the ones with the highest unemployment rates presently.
Excuse me for not knowing this but is this not a Bermudian program? Are we paying someone from overseas to tell us how to get people jobs?
The Waiter/Server Training Programme is a Bermudian program but the Job Corps isn’t as it requires a GED which is a north american qualification.
@Tommy Chong:
I suggest you get your facts straight. Job Corps Bermuda is a replication programme designed FOR and BY Bermudians. Your opposition may be one thing, but this does not entitle you to make up information.
It boggles my mind as to why a Bermudian would have to take this course to pertain a job while a foreign worker doesn’t even if they have just as much or less experience in the field.
I think there should be a Government Minister Retraining Programme that covers basic common sense of running a country & how to require a backbone to stand up to greedy business owners. First canidate for this Government Minister Retraining Programme should be Minister Minors.
Please tell me where are any of these “graduates” going to work? Maybe the Minister has a plan that we do not know about?
Doubt it as the prior reply said these programs are started willy nilly (must be Election time).
Yippee, let’s kill the restaurant trade completely Minister Minors! Whether you like it or not, here is what will happen:
These guys will quit being waiters the moment the job market improves and they can get a higher paid position with regular hours in IB, construction, Government, etc. In the meantime, experienced and content expat waiters who actually not only know what good service is but in fact know how to give it will be replaced by these guys who basically do not really want to be there. As standards deteriorate, restaurant customers will stay away thereby depressing the the trade even more until things turn around and these Bermudians are able to get the jobs they really want. Of course the more Government interventions contribute to depressing economic activity, the longer it will take for things to turn around – a vicious cycle brought about by poorly conceived albeit well intentioned Government policies.
Now, please don’t shoot the messenger – it’s just that over forty years of being a restaurant customer in Bermuda, my observation is that those Bermudians who want to be in the trade, already are and are doing a very good job along with their expat colleagues; and those who enter the trade every time there is a recession thereby displacing experienced expats end up seriously screwing things up and are rarely employed more than a few months.
WHAT THE @*!*@&@#@!
Do you really think that those who will do this course have the credentials for IB. If there are Bermudians who have a degree that pertains to IB they should be working in this occupation right now. There are still IB companies in Bermuda & still more than 60 foreigners employed on a whole here with these companies. I’m quite sure the IB companies are not the ones abusing the immigration system so these people unemployed do not have the credentials & will not gain them so they need jobs like being a waiter. That stated I don’t think they need anything more than on the job training to know how to walk with plates on a tray or pour a glass of wine since this is far from rocket science.
As for construction don’t you see that we have a massive hospital being built plus other building projects on the go. Not everyone is able to lift 90lb bags of cement into a mixer without getting pulled in themselves.
There are many Bermudians who will never be able to do anything but low level jobs but this is still a means to giving them a roof over their heads & food in their bellies.
Like OBA has stated something needs be done to stop the abuse of immigration which is one of the main reasons for unemployment.
Being a waiter is not a low level job, especially as it is on the front line of service providers.
Furthermore, though neither Party is presently being straight about this as they grasp for those seven or eight hundred undecided votes that will decide this election, the reality is Bermuda needs several thousand expats back to give the economy critical mass to grow again and create all sorts of jobs.
One more thing neither party is presently being straight about – regardless of who wins, within six months gambling licenses will be issued for several casinos and ground will broken. This is the only way to get any new hotels built and make existing ones solvent (and why the Greens purchased the Fairmont Hamilton). Personally, I feel legalising weed would drive the economy too by bringing in a lot of tourists with the munchies to fill the restaurants.
p.s Even tourists with the munchies expect good service.
Tommy Chong spewing foreigner hate again I see. Being a waiter is more than holding a tray and pouring drinks. It is a SERVICE. Which means the utmost concern, care and respect for a customer who will be paying for a meal that is 60-80% higher than most civilized places in the world. That’s mean no eye rolling or teeth sucking if a customer is unhappy. Do people really think Restaurant owners prefer dealing with immigration and the massive fees for obtaining work permits? They would love to hire Bermudians as long as the skills and work ethic are up to par.
Who’s spewing hate Razor? I know you’re a foreign worker & now I know your prejudice that all Bermudians eye roll or teeth suck.
The fees for permits are not that massive especially after selling a room full of $30 plates after selling thirty of those which is easily done in a weekend by most of these restaurants the fee is covered. The reason they don’t hire Bermudians is because they share the same prejudice as you & rather fill papers & pay the fees than hire one.
BTW What happen to all those past post about you whining you were getting booted off the island? Since you’re still here you must have let your prejudgement get to you as you are doing now.
Nope I left Bermuda 8 months ago. Still have some friends there though. Never said ALL Bermudians teeth suck, but an employer has every right to hire the best person for the job and would rather it be a Bermudian to avoid dealing with fees and surly attitudes with immigration. I had the pleasure of working with many hard working Bermudians when I was there but attitudes by many servers, not all, is lacking big time.
One other thing! I don’t hate foreigners I just hate it when a foreigner or business owner knowingly shafts a local out of a job. As I’ve stated before from observation there are mainly not all of them but many of this group of foreigners & its only this group I’ve noticed who have no scruples about trying to get their nationality hired over Bermudians & if you look at the sheer number of them working in Bermuda above all other foreigners on permit this becomes an apparent fact.
Waitering is NOT a low-level job!! I’ve never done it, but I respect those who do. It is hard work, and a good waitperson is very skilled.
60.
How many closed.
Grasping at straws.
Put them down and smoke a spliff.
Mr Chong says: “There are many Bermudians who will never be able to do anything but low level jobs but this is still a means to giving them a roof over their heads & food in their bellies.”
Being a server is not a low level job, it is the front line in the food and beverage industry. Assuming it is a “low level job” is one of the fundamental mistakes sometimes made by those outside the industry.
Time for pundits to actually try doing it for a day!
F)(* Chong.
I’m flattered by the suggestion Terry but I’m just not that kind of guy.
I realize someone must be quick on their feet & switched on to be a server but they don’t need a bachelors to do the job they just need about a weeks tops to show them the basics then another week in the trenches while supervised to get some constructive criticism.
Can you honestly tell me Teresa that all the foreign servers hired by MEF had proof they graduated from a course equivalent to this Bermuda Government one to be hired?
What are you doing Mr. Chong.
Rolling on the floor laughing at your dumb a– comments that’s what I’m doing.
Hear of hundreds of Bermudian’s being trained…but have yet to hear how many have been employed…and better yet are still employed after 6 months. We need to find out if they are still working or not. Or they have left or been let go due to economy, lack of money made or because they were not trained properly. All good saying we’ve trained hundreds, but is it worth it???
The timing of this is amusing, I think.
One question, can unemployed Spouses of Bermudians apply?
Maybe MEF can tell how much their servers make?
Certainly in places like France, being a waiter/waitress is an admired profession. Why not Bermuda? Could it be because the pay is so low?
Training? For what jobs? Anyway, this was not much more successful in its debut (9 or 10 ‘graduates’) than the recent grand opening of the $6 million dollar per anum job corps.
Someone must be getting some serious backhands from that Job Corps programme! Spending money for nothing!!!
job corp does not need to be a residentual program harmany hall can be used as a shelter for the many homeless.
To date, no money has been spent. The absurdity kill me.
I done this a few months ago and I succeed. So young bermudians and other bermudians out there who’s not working
Plz take the changes and go do this. I’m happy that I have done the course and it has showed me a lot. I hope I go farther in life with my skills that I have learned. This could be your chances that ya whole life can for the better. Bless
I really want to take this course hope they do this course again
I have been out of work for 6 1/2 months and have been looking for work within that the time I still get letter saying NO
How are bermudians suppose to have 1-5 years experience in waiting/kitchen porter field