Preparing Teens for the Working World

Posted Aug 23, 2010 by Courtney Cairns Pastor

Updated Aug 23, 2010 at 04:58 PM

I had the chance last week to return to a program at Chamberlain High School that I’ve covered for years but always has something new that surprises me.

The Culinary Operations Academy is entering the second half of a two-year pilot program aimed to give kids more experience in the workforce. Already at Chamberlain, the culinary students do far more than listen to lectures—they watch demonstrations from professional chefs and practice their own skills in a commercial-style kitchen, catering banquets and preparing gourmet lunches for teachers. They serve that food in a classroom unlike any other I’ve seen. It’s a perfect replica of Outback Steakhouse, down to the wooden booths, the Australian knicknacks on the wall and even a (nonalcoholic) bar.

But a national nonprofit, MDRC, thought Chamberlain could do more and invited the Tampa high school to participate in a federal grant it had received. The students shadowed employees at local restaurants to learn different aspects of food service and studied and toured colleges. It culminated, for seniors, in summer internships where the students worked in kitchens and attended classes on customer service and other things they needed to know on the job. The seniors also did projects for their employers. One girl developed a marketing plan for Einstein Bros. Bagels to promote its catering options.

Only four schools nationally are participating in the MDRC program but the agency and the Hillsborough County school district hope to replicate some of the strategies in more schools. You can read the entire story here.

Several Hillsborough high schools offer culinary programs, and the district has other career academies as well that mix real-world experience with academics. You can learn more on the career academy Web page.