Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) has emphasised the importance of investing in training and developing chefs internationally, to meet the growing demand for culinary expertise in Botswana.
This follows a concern of lack of culinary Degree holders who can train and up-skill those with Diploma in the field, that was raised by Botswana Chefs Association who also pointed out that such was the main barrier in having specialised chefs in the country.
Speaking at the ongoing Bojanala Tourism Cluster Ngamiland Chef Skills Development Stakeholder workshop in Maun, BQA Registration and Accreditation manager, Ms Gofetamang Phirinyane, advised chefs to go abroad for higher qualifications so that they could come back and teach, train and asses those with lower qualifications.
Ms Phirinyane said focusing on programme curriculum development and nurturing local talent was one way to pave the path for a new generation of skilled and specialised chefs in Botswana.
HRDC’s Human Resource Development Planning Demand director, Dr Fernando Siamisang, said that they had set a period of two to three years, to up-skill chefs so that they met international standards.
“For us to be globally competitive we need to train our chefs from the grassroots at secondary school, for them to be professionals. This requires development of new programmes that would meet set international standards,” he said.
Dr Siamisang said through collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, the industry was poised to overcome barriers and create a thriving environment for specialist chefs.
Executive chef, Mr Richard Molefe, when presenting on Food Safety and Hygiene, said the importance of personal hygiene as a start to every brand that generated customers trust and building good reputation.
“To your customer, cleanliness and freshness are of great importance and making your dishes safe starts with you and your staffs’ personal hygiene,” he said.
The three-day workshop aimed at discussing the modalities of programme curriculum development to produce local specialist chefs and sharing theoretical knowledge as well as demonstrating practical skills in culinary arts to trainees and trainers was organised by the Human Resource Development Council in collaboration with Botswana Tourism Organisation and Botswana Chefs Association.
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