- The determined students who completed the CathSSeta programme receive professional endorsements.
- The workplace readiness programme and practical skills training gave the students international exposure and some secured employment before they even completed their studies.
- CathSSeta CEO lauds students across the board for powering through to graduation.
Students who embarked on the three-year Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CathSSeta) programme of theory, practicals and workplace readiness are officially qualified culinary industry professionals.
They graduated at a ceremony held in Sandton on Wednesday.
While they were still students, some of these graduates had the good fortune of gaining invaluable experience by working at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar in 2022, something CathSSeta CEO Marks Thibela attributed to the collaborative efforts between his team and the culinary schools that offer the training.
READ: Gadra Matric School, Rhodes University guide matriculants to quality education
In an interview with City Press, he explained that some of these schools had international networks that sometimes entailed cultural exchanges. It was therefore sensible for the CathSSeta, the culinary schools and the international culinary community to pool their resources and offer the students these opportunities.
One of the speakers at the graduation ceremony stated that the students who studied at traditional institutions of higher learning did not come close to the CathSSeta students’ experience because university training was mostly theoretical.
Given that there’s been so much debate about certain qualifications being beneath others, this statement was rather contentious. This reminded Thibela of a discussion at the recent G20 conference, where the subject of mutual recognition of qualifications globally was on the agenda.
Thirty years into a democratic South Africa, why do we still have a situation where this learner will say I studied at UCT [University of Cape Town] and this one will say I studied at the University of Limpopo and then the other one will find himself being belittled because of where they studied? The curriculum should be the same and it should just be about making a choice of where we study. It should not be that certain institutions are said to be of better quality.
— Marks Thibela
The CathSSeta qualifications are vigorously assessed by the Quality Council for Trade and Occupations, which then does the certification. Thibela is of the opinion that qualifications that balance theory and practical training should be applied across the board, as one does not invalidate the other.
For workplace readiness, CathSSeta and the culinary schools identify potential employers before the training begins, and this is when the students obtain their practical training.
He said the Qatar exchange programme benefited the students because there were people from all over the world in Qatar for the football spectacle. The students got a cultural experience during which they learnt about dishes from different countries and also learnt about how communication techniques differ from country to country.
READ: The Market Theatre stages The Fall to commemorate 10th anniversary of #FeesMustFall
Chanelle Prinsloo, who studied at the Purple Carrot Chef School in North West, was one of the students who had this cultural experience.
She said she fell in love with making food during her high school years but was unable to enrol at the Food & Beverage Institute In Bloemfontein due to financial constraints. She then found out that the CathSSeta offered bursaries. She applied and was able to secure a spot after a gruelling selection process and, today, she is a qualified chef.
Being in Qatar was not as easy as they make it look on TV. You meet with different cultures, which taught me to remain calm in high-pressure situations. The way they do their planning is different than how we do it here at home, the language barriers were hard and because most of the games [football matches] happened at night, the hours were very rough. But I feel workplace-ready because I have had hands-on working experience.
— Chanelle Prinsloo
Prinsloo is not oblivious to the fact that there will still be challenges in the the places she works, but believes that CathSSeta has prepared her and her fellow students for whatever the future holds.
