bē Workaway Programme: The Secret Weapon to Rebuilding Our Hospitality Industry?
We here at bē are proud and excited to be in our seventh year offering our exclusive Workaway International programme to young adults, living in Ireland and the UK, who are either thinking about or already working on careers in the hospitality industry. Over the past six years, we have placed more than 650 people with our five-star country-club partners in Florida for an intensive, eight-month, all-expenses-paid training internship in the US hospitality industry. We are even more proud of the graduates who have returned home and used this opportunity to kick off their management careers with our hospitality partners here in Ireland.
Here are some of our success stories:
Ainne King joined Workaway after completing her hospitality business management degree at Athlone Institute of Technology. In 2011, she joined St. Andrews Country Club in Florida, where she spent five seasons progressing from a server to bar manager to fine-dining restaurant manager. Upon her return to Ireland in May 2016, Ainne landed her dream job at the K Club as restaurant and bar manager in the Arnold Palmer Clubhouse, where she still works today.
Pauric Coughlan joined the Workaway programme in 2011 and completed two seasons at Boca West, named the №1 Private Residential Country Club in the US by BoardRoom magazine. Due to his hard work and commitment to developing his skills, he was chosen to join the team at Glen Oaks Country Club, one of the top golf resorts in New York state. On his return to Ireland, Pauric was offered a management position at the recently opened five-star Marker Hotel in Dublin in the conference and banqueting department, where he still works today.
Elaine Sweeney joined Workaway from Tralee Institute of Technology in 2014 and spent two and a half years between Boca West in Florida and the Muttontown Club in New York, where she gained the hands-on skills required to advance her career. Upon returning to Ireland in May 2017, she will be joining the Rose Hotel in Tralee as an assistant restaurant manager in the hotel’s new Park Restaurant.
Shauna Boxwell joined the Workaway programme from Dundalk Institute of Technology in 2013 and spent two and a half years between Sailfish Point Country Club in Florida, Philadelphia Country Club, and the Muttontown Club in New York before returning to Ireland in early 2017. She is excited to be joining the newly refurbished Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise as part of the food-and-beverage team.
Evan Keating joined Workaway after completing his course at Cork Institute of Technology in 2015. He has just completed two seasons in Florida with Admirals Cove and Windsor Country Club, in between returning home to Ireland each year to work with the Ross Hotel in Killarney, continuously building on his culinary skills. His valuable international experience has allowed him to take up a role with one of Ireland’s leading hotels of the World Killarney Park.
What is Workaway?
Workaway offers young people an opportunity to gain international experience in the hospitality industry across a broad spectrum of service styles ranging from fine dining to casual to large-scale banquet operations, as well private catering events in members’ homes.
It begins with an intensive, two-week, classroom-style training programme where they not only learn the basics of service and standards, but also the knowledge needed to understand the food and beverage menus they will either be cooking or serving to their guests.
Once they have successfully passed their assessment exams, the students then spend the next two to three weeks shadowing a seasoned team member, who takes the time to train them hands-on to deliver the various tasks required of them to not only meet but exceed their guests’ expectations at every turn. Here, the training employs the tried-and-true system of “watch, show, and repeat.”
After being signed off by their buddy, the trainees graduate to being assigned their own stations, either in bars, dining rooms or kitchens, where they will be continually monitored and assessed, then developed and trained over the next seven months.
After their initial eight-month contract, the best performers are offered opportunities to join partner resorts in the Northeastern United States for a further four months of training and development.
Upon completion of the programme, our Workaway graduates are assigned a talent agent here in Ireland, who works with them to map out the next steps in their careers, either with our hospitality partners in Ireland such as the Portlaoise Heritage Hotel, Kilkea Castle, and Killarney Park Hotel, just to name a few; or with our international pub or cruise line partners.
Why Workaway can be our Secret Weapon??
Over the course of the year, I have listened to various talk shows on the radio and enjoyed reading articles in various publications
Adrian Cummins speaking with Bobby Kerr in advance of the recent Catex show about the lack of trained chefs in Ireland and how we are having to turn our focus to Eastern Europe to attract the skilled people we require while on Newstalk Radio
David Hurley from Gregans Castle and Stevie Lane, owner of Brownes in Tuam, talking about the biggest challenge to the industry this year will be attracting and keeping people in the industry in this Hospitality Ireland article
Adrian Cummins has also been working tirelessly in his efforts to get our government to re-establish the much valued Cert training course in the country as the need to have more training opportunities is paramount to the survival of the industry as published in this The Taste.ie article
While I agree with all of these various viewpoints and, yes, we definitely are sadly lacking behind other industries when it comes to access to training and development of our people, Is it not time though that we as an Industry take a more aggressive and forward-thinking approach to resolving our own issues and not be like the famous Dickens character Oliver meekly asking for more, When in fact we have the ability and power to resolve these issues ourselves if we can come together as one industry and unite together.
I also can’t help but feel that at times we are like Oliver in the Dicken’s classic meekly saying “please sir can I have some more”. I can’t help but at times be amazed at how little we actually want to get up off our backsides and take control of the situation for ourselves. We seem, at times, to be focused on what someone else should be doing for us and we forget that we have the power and ability to resolve these issues ourselves.
Therefore, bē are trying to offer solutions to the Irish hospitality industry that will allow us to take control of our destiny as an industry, Workaway just might be the strongest weapon at our disposal in solving the skills shortage and attracting people into the industry again. It helps us offer a viable and sustainable training program which has proven to excel and develop successful careers in hospitality. This is only possible if the professionals and the leaders of this great industry want to achieve these lofty ambitions of providing the best of Irish hospitality with the best of internationally recognised best practices.
Benefits of Workaway for your Organisation
- Free industry leading professional training delivered in theoretical and practical models
- Attract new people by offering a placement in the USA as part of your recruitment campaign
- Retain your people by offering international life experience.
- Introduction to the hospitality industry and benefits of it as a professional career choice.
- Reduce your workforce in the offseason while also investing in up-skilling your people.
bē Commitment to the Hospitality Industry
Workaway is just one of the many ways we here at bē are looking to revitalise this hugely important industry to the Irish economy as highlighted in the Irish Independent article Tourism success gets 1,000 welcomes. However, we need the help and the support of our Industry to embrace Workaway. I wonder what if every bar, restaurant, hotel, hospitality organisation and college would nominate one enthusiastic young person looking to kick off their career and fly the flag for Ireland abroad in the USA. Someone who would truly embrace this once in a lifetime opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience, that will not only help them as they strive to achieve their future career goals, While also give them the ability to bring home International best practices from the US hospitality industry.
So I would like to leave you with this parting thought, Would Workaway help create a sustainable and more professional industry here in Ireland. One that I know can and will be a part of creating a better and more vibrant Ireland for the generations to come. I believe it is within us all to play our part for our Country’s future and leave it in a better place than we found it.