Welcome to our Latest News Archive
Feel free to peruse through our most recent editorial postings. You'll find topics that are varied, of interest and that generally relate to our involvement in local community activities, student good news stories and their successes. Enjoy!
Fantastic response to ECE Open Day!
We had a fantastic response to our Early Childhood Education Open Day, with lots of people coming along throughout the day to find out more about ECE study options, to talk to our ECE tutors and to check out our Napier Learning Centre facilities.
A big congratulations goes out to three lucky winners of our Open Day Morning Tea prize draw - Charlotte Stewart, Robyn Hotton and Georgia Gannon - each will receive a free coffee, muffin or slice from our very own Preparado Training Restaurant. Well done guys. Your vouchers are in the mail!!
Are you interested in a career in ECE? We have programmes starting in Napier, Auckland and Wellington in August and September. There is still time to enrol. Call our Training Advisor now on (0800) 833 5581.
Click here for ECE course start dates and programme brochures.
Youth training takes the cake!
July 2011
Workforce Development delivers a Youth Training Programme for young people preparing for work with a focus on hospitality.
In this programme they achieve units towards a national qualification, build literacy and numeracy skills, untertake work experience, and develop CVs and career plans. They also have fun!
Why make a cake? To make a cake takes more skills than licking the bowl! You have to communicate and listen to client requirements, work within budgets, create designs that meet client expectations, research and present ideas and use reading and maths skills to follow recipes. Working with real projects with your colleagues is a great way to improve your skills as a team member, a key requirement of any workplace.
The Jungle Cake (pictured) was judged the best. The youth team judged the project as really enjoyable, were really proud of their efforts, and concluded "we worked well as a team today".
Aka Aotearoa Funded Research...Tutor Practices
July 2011
Anne Greenhalgh (pictured), Workforce Development's National Foundation Manager, recently completed her hub research project - Towards the identification of key tutor practices that are positively correlated with successful completion for Maori students within a PTE environment.
The project highlights what works well for Maori students in a private training establishment (PTE) environment and provides the groundwork for further exploration of the teaching practices of the tutors involved...click here to read more.
Ako Aotearoa Professional Development opportunity for Workforce tutors!
June 2011
Many of you will be aware that we are currently involved in a research project funded by AKO Aotearoa. We are delighted to announce that through this, Workforce has been given the opportunity to host an AKO professional development seminar. This will be held at our Learning Center on 18th July at 60 Prebensen Drive, Napier.
The facilitator for this seminar is Adrian Woodhouse, Catering Lecturer at Otago Polytechnic and winner of the AKO 2008 Excellence award. Adrian’s practice is strongly based on “Authentic Learning” and this will be the theme of the seminar. Adrian has a real passion in his teaching practice and we are sure that he will provide fresh perspectives on delivery options, particularly for Level 1 – 3 programmes.
This seminar is being made available to all PTEs in the Hawke’s Bay area and is limited to 20 places overall. To give everyone a fair chance to attend, selection for attendees from Workforce Development will be drawn out of a hat. If you are interested in participating in this seminar, which is a first for the region, please register your interest with Anne Greenhalgh before 27th June.
Hospitality Open Day success despite the rain!
June 2011
We had a good day at our Hospitaity Open Day. A good number of people turned out to visit our Preparado training restaurant, despite the poor weather, interested in a career in hospitality.
We drew three lucky winners out of the hat to win free Morning Tea for a week from Preparado's cafe and we had one of our current Cookery Level 4 students, Sonny Hiha, sign up a friend on the next intake of hospitality courses.
Well done Sonny! He has just won a lunch voucher for two and free coffee for a week from Preparado.
Students Reveal Food Show Talent
May 2011
What a weekend for the students of the Cookery Level 3 programme in Napier, who competed in this year’s culinary competitions at the Capital Food Show in Wellington.
A contingent of six Workforce Development students competed in the Innovative Fresh Fruit Flan class with a big congratulations going out to Sonny Hiha for taking out the Bronze Medal. Darryl Minchin, Thomas Kururangi, Sam Moore, Brian McCarthy and Bradly Arcus also did very well and all finishing just outside the medals.
The Capital’s annual Food Show hosts the best and brightest stars in the hospitality industry, who get to show off their talent in a range of classes and events.
This was a superb effort all round with great skill shown by the Cookery students, very ably assisted and supported by Cook Tutor Phil Eldon, who made this trip a reality for the students. What a great success and also a wonderful learning experience for all the students.
Pictured: The Innovative Fresh Flan class Bronze Medal winning creation and Sonny Hiha contemplating his next creative move.
Supporting our community
May 2011
The resthome was Gladys Mary Resthome. They visited the Workforce Development Preparado Training Restaurant, Napier, where the Cookery Level 3 students provided them with a two course lunch service.
This was an opportunity for the Cookery Level 3 students to gain some hands on experience working with the public, while at the same time...providing Workforce Development a way to give something back to the community.
The Hospitality Team will host a series of events over the next few months, which will include catering for community group functions, advisory board meetings and hosting more resthome residents and local government agencies at Preparado.
Caption: Residents and the Team from Gladys Mary Resthome pose with Phil Eldon, Workforce Development's Cookery Level 3 Tutor.
Older Articles
Hospitality Cooks Up More Winners
In the exciting and growing world of hospitality, Workforce Development continues to produce winners.
read more » »
Reaching Out
Working alongside the up and coming Hawke’s Bay Youth Workers and knowing what is required to reach out to our young people in today’s social climate is something the Youth Work Tutors at Workforce Development know all about.
read more » »
Cleaning Up Cornwall Park
Youth workers and Scouts joined forces on Saturday to clean up Cornwall Park.
read more » »
Young Chef Continues to Succeed