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Cerritos College Culinary Arts Students and Alumni Get Hired through Job and Training Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 15, 2013

Media Contact:
Aya Abelon, Public Affairs; (562) 653-7878

Program Contact:
Belle Gomez, Economic Development; bgomez@cerritos.edu

Michael Pierini demonstrating NORWALK, Calif. – August 15, 2013 – The Cerritos College Economic Development and the Culinary Arts programs, in partnership with Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board (SELACO WIB) and the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), are working to recruit and fill over a hundred jobs with qualified individuals in openings at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The positions vary from retail to culinary openings at stores and restaurants.

In the first round of recruitment, many candidates were Culinary Arts students and alumni entering cooking positions at the restaurants in existing LAX terminals or at the soon -to-open Tom Bradley International terminal. These restaurants are owned by well-known concession companies and the jobs offer competitive pay with benefits provided by the company, through membership with the UNITE HERE Local 11 labor union.

Students in the kitchen The partnership also recently established a pilot training program for LAX restaurants’ newly hired cooks led by the Cerritos College Culinary Arts Chair and Chef Michael Pierini. The training was held at Cerritos College Culinary Arts kitchen during the summer. Chef Pierini, along with Angela Reid from HTA, provided an intense 35-hour preparation course for the experienced cooks to get exposure to the menus of the restaurants they will be working for as well as receive an introduction to employment at LAX and the Union. Fourteen individuals attended and completed the training. Of these participants, seven were students or alumni of Cerritos College.

“We look forward to performing more contracted training opportunities that provide additional support for the Culinary Arts program and we want to help prepare future candidates for their new jobs,” said Belle Gomez, director of Community Advancement at Cerritos College. According to Gomez, more jobs openings are underway and SELACO is working as the recruiter and pre-screener for the openings with HTA and LAX concession companies. For more information about the program, contact Gomez at (562) 860-2451 ext. 2510.

About Cerritos College: Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college’s district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos,Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areasof study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently averages 23,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online athttps://www.cerritos.edu/.

August 23, 2013 0 Comment

LA TradeTech College Graduation – July 23, 2013

July 23, 2013 0 Comment

Gala for the Opening of the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at LAX

June 27, 2013 0 Comment

Tourists spend $16.4 billion in L.A. County last year, study says

Tourists snap pictures near the Hollywood sign. (KTLA-TV)By Hugo Martin
March 11, 2013, 11:31 a.m.

A bright spot in the local economy — tourism — continues to generate big numbers for the region’s beleaguered businesses.Tourists spent $16.4 billion in 2012, most of it on hotels and restaurants, according to a study commissioned by the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. By comparison, the agency said, tourists spent $15.4 billion in 2011.

Tourism last year also generated more than $2 billion in state and local taxes, the study said.

The study, completed by Micronomics, an economics research and consulting firm from Los Angeles, also concluded that tourism helped support nearly 230,000 jobs last year.

Tourism has been on the rise for three years, with 41.4 million visitors in 2012, a new record and a 2.5% increase over 2011.

The impact of the spending is nearly doubled to $30.5 billion because of what economists call the “multiplier effect,” which represents how spending promotes more spending by business bolstered by the tourism growth.

Of the tourists visiting L.A. County, 85% were from the U.S. and 15% were from foreign countries. China became the nation’s top overseas market for the first time, with 460,000 visitors last year, the study said.

Chinese visitors spend an average of $2,652 per visit, more than twice the amount spent by all overseas visitors, according to federal studies.

March 12, 2013 0 Comment

LAX Culinary Training Program graduation – March 1, 2013

The Hospitality Training Academy, HMS Host & Los Angeles Trade Technical College hosted Graduation of the Inaugural class of the LAX Culinary Training Program with special guest Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Friday, March 1, 2013 at Tom Bradley International Terminal.

March 1, 2013 0 Comment

WIB Hospitality Initiative Retrains Displaced Workers in LAX’s New High End Culinary Model

https://www.wiblacity.org/component/content/article/1-wib-articles/109-unitehere-hta-lax.html

In 2009, the City of Los Angeles awarded the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA) a grant for $650,000 and an additional $500,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to make the Academy a reality.

The City of Los Angeles has identified the hospitality industry as a high-growth sector. In fact, in 2009, tourism surpassed international trade as the number-one job generator in LA County. The Mayor’s office demonstrated its commitment to keep this high-demand industry thriving through its grant award to the Labor-Management Partnership in hospitality. Improved guest service means occupancy rates go up and hotels generate repeat business.

Eric Rendon was displaced from his cashier’s job at Ruby’s by the modernization underway at LAX, but he is retraining as a high-end chef (photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times/December 3, 2012)

This year the City has invested $225,000 for a pilot program re-training 50 displaced airport food industry workers for employment in new L.A. signature culinary eateries opening within the Los Angeles World Airport (LAX). These culinary students are currently training with world class chefs. All trainees who successfully complete the program are expected to be hired at various airport restaurants as the Tom Bradley International and Terminal 4 reopen.

An in-depth L.A. Times article about the new airport restaurants and more information about the HTA are available at:

www.latimes.com (local news section)
www.unitehere11.org (hospitality training academy)

Copyright © 2013 Workforce Investment Board. All rights reserved
The City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board is a WIA Title I financially assisted program or activity and is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

February 8, 2013 0 Comment

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