If you’ve ever entertained culinary ambitions but don’t know quite where to start, you’ll want to know about Berkshire Community College’s new Culinary Arts Certificate, a 15-week program that combines seven weeks of classroom and kitchen training with eight weeks of paid apprenticeship in local kitchens.
According to BCC’s Frank Schickor, who runs the program, the college’s former culinary program “took a hit during the pandemic” and has been on hiatus until now. The reimagined program is a direct result of community feedback. “We heard from the culinary community that they really wanted two things,” says Schickor. “They were desperately looking for people who have entry-level skills, but they didn’t want to wait too long for that.” So, the decision was made to create a program that gives students basic skills and then places them into professional kitchens as quickly as possible.
“The idea is not to say, ‘you’re graduating and now you’re a chef,’” says Aaron Oster, BCC’s instructional program manager for food, culture, and the local economy. “We give them a wide breadth of information on what the industry can offer. They touch on chocolate, baking, bread, egg cookery, and ultimately, they get to see practical applications within a day.” Local partnerships with companies such as Mill Town Capital, Main Street Hospitality, and local country clubs and restaurants are key, says Oster. “We’re beginning to understand how to place people, what the expectations are, and making sure we’re building long-term partnerships.”
The first program, launched this past September, was fully enrolled with 12 students who, at this writing, were just starting apprenticeships at Country Club of Pittsfield, Antimony Brewing, Miss Hall’s School, Doctor Sax House, Berkshire Dream Center, and BCC’s onsite café. “That’s really exciting to me,” says Schickor, who says he hopes that many students will remain employed at those organizations when their apprenticeships end. “We work very hard getting to know the students to place them exactly where we feel they will be successful,” he says. Based on the number of inquiries he’s received, Schickor anticipates that the program will be equally popular next semester, particularly given that community college is now free to Massachusetts residents of any age or income level, provided they do not already have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent.
At the heart of the culinary program is BCC’s relatively new teaching kitchen, which houses not only the certificate program but also an educational platform for workforce development and community education. For instance, Oster recently completed a pilot program called Excellence in Service. “As we’ve reached out to restaurants over the years, many have said they just don’t have time to train things like interpersonal communication, leadership, understanding how to take critique and give it,” he says. He created the grant-funded program to teach those skills, plus food safety and the fundamentals of business. The first program, he says, “had a 90% completion rate, which is really big for workforce programming.” Many of the participants were from underserved communities, including recovering and formerly incarcerated individuals. “They’re looking to change their trajectory and the world of service is a great place to build a career,” says Oster.
Berkshire Community College
1350 West St.
Pittsfield
413-499-4660
berkshirecc.edu
