Another 41 young trainees on November 15 this year, graduated from the Catering International and Services (CIS) in Makeni on an Industrial Experience Programme.
The CIS is the market leader for quality catering services to the Sierra Leonean mining industry and has so far trained over 145 students from the Young Executive Sierra Leone Institute and MADAM Charity since the partnership began just one year ago in October 2011.
The Industrial Experience Programme allows students to experience real life working situations, working in the various different departments including the kitchen, dining room, stores, laundry and room cleaning as these are the services the CIS provides to institutions in the North such as African Minerals Limited (AML).
During training, the Students are placed on locations in Makeni, Rogbere, Port Loko, Bumbuna and Tonkolili.
The next intake of students will also be able to train at Pepel.
Besides gaining invaluable work experience and further “hands on” training, the students stand a very real chance of gaining employment within CIS following graduation. To date 44% of CIS’ staff have come through this programme.
Many of the past students have gone on to win the CIS Employee of the Month Award as well as gaining fast-tracked promotion.
The Institutes benefit, as their potential students see the real chances the courses offer and the real possibility of a job that follow after the course. CIS benefits, as they are tapping into a resource of young committed students who have already indicated a desire for a career in catering. The local communities from where these students come from benefit, as there is more likelihood that these students find full time employment which in itself injects money into the local economy.
Finally Sierra Leone benefits as these graduated students will form the nucleus of the trained staff needed to fuel the Sierra Leonean hospitality Industry of the future.
As Sierra Leone grows, so more and more tourists will flock to its beautiful shores and more hotels and restaurants will be required, therefore more skilled and trained staff will be needed for that expansion.
CIS, under the leadership of their General Manager, Philip Mawer, will be proud to have played a part in that development by training these staff.
CIS is setting the benchmark for successful training programme and local development but is not resting on its laurels. Future plans include the installation and inauguration of a “Centre of Excellence” within Makeni as well as a fully equipped Training kitchen and dedicated expatriate Head Chef trainer.
The Executive Director of The Young Executives-Sierra Leone Hospitality and Tourism Management Training (TYEs-HOTMAT), Daniel ATTA-KUSI thanked the CIS management especially the Country Manager, Philip Mawer and the AML for their continuing support for the training program for the development of the youth, especially the women and also helping in reducing the unemployment rate in country.
He said Hospitality and Tourism Industry has become the fastest growing industry in the world today and the only way Sierra Leone could benefit from such development is to have training centers such as TYEs-HOTMAT with the support from the world recognized international catering company like CIS to train more personnel to meet the challenge.
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