PCC Launching Food Service Management This Fall

WINTERVILLE�For those contemplating careers in the food service industry, a new program at Pitt Community College this fall could be just what they need to land the job of their dreams.

According to Dr. David Lusk, dean of PCC�s Continuing Education Division, the college is launching a Basic Food Service Management program next month. The program, he said, is comprised of 330 hours of instruction in topics ranging from basic food preparation and food purchasing practices to dining room operations and off-site catering.

Training, Lusk said, begins Sept. 1 with a required, 24-hour Human Resource Development course on employability skills for food service workers. The first food service management class takes place a week later at Rock Springs Center and will meet there Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. throughout PCC�s fall semester.

Funding for Pitt�s new program comes through Gov. Beverly Perdue�s �JobsNow: 12 in 6� project. PCC received $200,000 through JobsNow, which aims to help the state prepare a skilled workforce for the current economy.

The goal of the �12 in 6� project, which is federally funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is to provide an infusion of instructional resources to support training activities in 12 occupational areas that can be completed in less than six months.

Lusk said PCC chose to offer a food service program after weighing several criteria. Among the factors taken into consideration, he said, were JobsNow funding guidelines, the fact Pitt had not previously offered food service training, and the state�s employment database, which indicated a potential 14 percent increase in jobs for food preparation workers in Pitt County over the next several years.

State employment statistics show entry-level kitchen management pay begins at approximately $25,000 and increases with experience. Lusk said PCC plans to add an advanced-level food service program by spring semester that will provide increased training needed to move into higher levels of restaurant management.

The Mid-East Commission is partnering with PCC on its new food service program and will offer Workforce Investment Act funding to pay for tuition for qualifying students. For more information, contact the Pitt County JobLink at (252) 355-9067.

08/17/2009