In times past, people learned their skills on the job, and this was sufficient training when knowledge and work were changing slowly. But these days, people need a far broader base of knowledge to succeed, and it is through education that workers will get this knowledge. Fast food chains realize the importance of education. Not only are they encouraging workers to get more education through company courses and schooling beyond high school, they are also hiring people for managerial positions who have graduated from two and four-year colleges. As in most areas, education pays dividends to those planning a career in the fast food industry.
Military Training
All the branches of the armed services offer quality food service training beyond the basic KP (kitchen police) duty. In fact, KP duty is now done by civilians who pick up, wash, and stack dishes.
In today's army, if you select a food service career, you are sent to a culinary arts school in Fort Eustis, Virginia. There you attend an intensive eight-week course, five days a week, eight hours a day. At the school, you learn everything that you would at any culinary arts school. You are taught the cutting and processing of meats, poultry, and seafood. You learn how to weigh and measure, read and interpret standard recipes, and also read hospital computerized recipes. The school teaches you how to cook meats, fruits, and vegetables along with salads, sauces, gravies, and desserts other than pastries. Techniques for making bread, doughnuts, rolls, pastries, and pasta are taught separately.
As a food service specialist in the army, you will fine tune your skills and gain work experience at your duty station. You do not get on-the-job training since you have already been trained. Furthermore, you are rated every year, and if your ratings are good, you may even have the opportunity to specialize in a particular field like meat cutting or baking. The army will even send you to special civilian culinary school. The navy, air force, and marines have similar schools and opportunities. Keep in mind, however, that military service is a contractual obligation that requires rigorous basic physical training in addition to your career preparation. Stamina and discipline are important attributes for those considering such service.
Technical Colleges
Technical colleges offer two-year programs in a wide variety of fields, including culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management. Students can usually attend these schools on either a full-time or part-time basis. In addition, many of these schools offer classes both during the day and at night.
The culinary arts programs are designed for students who want to work in the kitchen environment. The hotel and restaurant management programs are more appropriate for students wanting fast food careers. These programs concentrate on teaching students what they need to know in this area. Few students who are enrolled in these programs will take electives. However, they will take a few courses in English, mathematics, and science. Required courses may include the following subjects:
Reasons for Attending a Technical College
William Great house is chairman of the hotel and restaurant management and culinary arts programs at Indiana Vocational Technical College. He feels that many people who attend technical colleges already possess practical working skills that they have gained from on-the-job training. They may already know how to flip burgers, cook fries, and fill cups. What they need from technical schools, he believes, is further education in management skills. He claims that corporate training programs are very strong in providing the technical knowledge-the mechanics of fast food-that their workers need but that many fall short in teaching their employees how to deal with human relationships, for example, how to work with other employees, and how to deal with customers, especially difficult customers.
Great house believes that technical colleges offer students distinctive advantages that will help them in their fast food careers:
- They will learn far more about the fast food industry than by working in just one place.
- They will have a broader base of knowledge, which will become increasingly important as they climb higher in their careers.
- On-the-job training is only as good as the trainer. At a technical college, students learn from a number of teachers who are experienced instructors.
- They will be able to relate to the industry as a whole rather than to one restaurant.
Junior and Community Colleges
Like technical colleges, junior and community colleges offer two-year programs in a number of areas. However, one of the major differences between these colleges and technical colleges is that junior and community colleges offer a liberal arts curriculum. Technical colleges do not. If you decide to go on to a four-year college or university, most credits can usually be transferred from junior or community colleges.
Students can study restaurant management at junior and community colleges, but they will also have a large number of classes in other areas. Classes at these schools are designed to broaden a student's general knowledge and perspective. A wide variety of food preparation courses are offered, along with purchasing courses, record keeping courses, and courses that will increase a student's communication skills.
You should keep in mind that a junior or community college will often cost less than a larger university, and the classroom work is often more flexible. Many programs even combine classroom work with practical job experiences in part-time food service jobs. Moreover, many local food service operators are on the advisory committees of these schools and often serve as part-time instructors or guest speakers.
Graduates of technical, junior and community colleges are now filling many of the management positions in the fast food industry. Restaurant chains are looking for people who have had educational experience beyond the high school level.
University Programs
There is definitely a need in the fast food industry for the graduates of four-year college or university programs. In fact, the higher people go on the fast food ladder, the broader the education that is needed. Graduates of universities qualify to fill all types of necessary jobs in the fast food industry. For example, they can become assistant managers, food production supervisors, purchasing agents, food cost accountants, food service directors, personnel directors, and sales managers.
Associate Programs: Many colleges also offer associate programs in applied science-food service and lodging supervision. These programs in food service and lodging supervision prepare students for employment in the hospitality industry, either in supervisory or middle-management positions. Students have classroom theory and laboratory work. Their curriculum includes courses in food service sanitation, property management, quantity food production, personnel management, food purchasing, food and labor cost control, equipment, and specialty food service.
Undergraduate Degree Programs: After completing the associate program, students can either directly enter the workforce or continue their education for a bachelor's degree in the hotel and restaurant management area. If you are interested in colleges and universities that offer foodservice programs, a list of these schools is included in appendix B.
Graduate Programs: There are an increasing number of colleges and universities now offering masters and doctoral degree programs in food-service administration. In addition, students wishing to reach positions at the top of the fast food ladder may find it helpful to have a master's degree in business administration (MBA). If you are interested in a graduate program, write to one of the schools listed in appendix B.
