First McCafé Training Academy Opens at ITE College West

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1 ITE 06/18/01 Press Release No. 08/14 For Immediate Release First McCafé Training Academy Opens at ITE College West Singapore, 2 Jun 2014 McDonald s Restaurants Pte Ltd has set-up a McCafé Training Academy at ITE College West the first-of-its-kind in the region. The new facility aims at training manpower for the growing food & beverage (F & B) industry, which has recently seen a sudden spurt of cafés opening in our local neighbourhoods. The opening of the McCafé Training Academy was officiated by Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education. 2 The establishment of the McCafé Training Academy is a significant milestone in the strong partnership between ITE and McDonald s. Last August, the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to train staff and students in Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) operations and customer service. Care for a Cuppa? 3 As part of the collaboration, McDonald s started a new Nitec in Food & Beverage Operations traineeship programme an earn-as-you-learn programme that gives trainees on-the-job practical training with McDonald s and off-the-job learning at ITE. The first intake by McDonald s attracted 17 trainees. 4 The McCafé Training Academy will be their new classroom that will support their training in café operations and customer service. Trainees will 1

2 gain an authentic learning experience as it replicates the design and equipment used in a McCafé outlet. Students from other courses taking up modules in related areas will also use the facility for their lessons. 5 The Academy will also serve as a barista training facility for McCafé staff. The collaboration and cooperation between barista trainers from McCafé, and ITE staff and students provides an effective platform for exchange and development of new F & B product, and service ideas. New Talents and Flavours 6 An example of this is the Home Grown Expression Baking Competition a baking challenge among ITE students to develop uniquely Singaporean cakes and tarts using local flavours and cuisines. A total of 10 teams from the Nitec in Pastry & Baking and Technical Diploma in Culinary Arts courses tested their imagination and skills to craft interesting recipes. The winning team will have their creations sold over the counters at McCafé for a season a major motivation for the competitors. Winners will also be awarded cash prizes of up to $1,500 and a certificate. They were selected by a panel of judges and through online voting. (See list of winners in Annex A) A Win-Win Partnership 7 Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE, is heartened that the collaboration has made significant progress and reaped positive results. He said, We are glad to partner McDonald s, who are as committed as ITE, in building up skilled manpower. We believe that the applied learning at the McCafé Training Academy and other joint efforts will prepare our students effectively for their careers and bring out their talents. 8 Shared Ms Phyllis Cheung, Managing Director, McDonald s Restaurants Pte Ltd, This initiative comes as part of our ongoing focus on training and education, and our belief in providing people with the opportunities that will enable them to reach their full potential. We hope to help the Institute of Technical Education groom the next generation of F&B leaders, and we are 2

3 confident that the work we have begun here will eventually benefit the industry as a whole. Media Coverage 9 The media is invited to publicise the contents of this news release. For further information, please contact: Ms Shalini V Head/Publicity Institute of Technical Education Tel: Shalini_V@ite.edu.sg or GolinHarris, on behalf of McDonald s Singapore: Tiffany Khoo Associate Tel: tkhoo@golinharris. Pamela Tor Das Executive Director ptordas@golinharris.com 3

4 About ITE The Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore, was established as a post-secondary education institution in 1992 under the Ministry of Education. ITE is a principal provider of career and technical education and key developer of national occupational skills certification and standards to enhance Singapore's workforce competitiveness. Under its "One ITE System, Three Colleges" Model of Education and Governance, ITE has three Colleges, comprising ITE College Central, ITE College East and ITE College West. For more information, visit: About McDonald s Restaurants In Singapore, McDonald s has a network of more than 125 restaurants islandwide, over 12 Drive-Thrus, over 30 dessert kiosks and over 40 McCafé outlets. McDonald s is the first in the industry to offer super-convenience with McDelivery 24/7 (online ordering available at 24 hours Drive-Thru, 24 hours dining at a majority of restaurants daily or on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays and eve of Public Holidays) and Breakfast from 4am. McDonald s employs more than 8,500 people in Singapore and serves more than 6 million customers every month. It is the recipient of the Aon Hewitt Best Employer award in 2007 (Singapore), 2009 (Singapore & Asia) and 2011 (Singapore & Asia), and the national Service Excellence award in McDonald s Singapore also won Best Mature and Re-employment Practices and Best Recruitment Strategies at the HRM Awards McDonald s has received recognition for its green efforts winning six Green Mark for Restaurants certifications by the Building & Construction Authority of Singapore. McDonald s was also the first in the industry to achieve the Platinum Green Mark award for its restaurants at Jurong Central Park and Yishun Safra. For further information on McDonald s Singapore, please log on to 4

5 Annex A List of Winners for Home Grown Expression Baking Competition First Prize Name of Creation: Teh Tarik Cheese Cake Charmaine Chua Ying Xuan Seri Syafawani Hidayat Bte Shamsuddin Muhammad Salehan Bin Jaafar Nitec in Pastry & Baking Second Prize Name of Creation: Banana Carrot Cake Nicolas Lim Lee Yong Hao Muhammad Hilmi B Zulkifli Nitec in Pastry & Baking Third Prize Name of Creation: Bubur Cha Cha Moose Cake Zara Lim Shi Qi Sebastian Wong Wei Han Adrian Lai Siew Meng Technical Diploma in Culinary Arts 5

6 Special Prize (Tart Category) Name of Creation: Fierry Crab Tart Loh Poh Seng Phua Jun Sen Nurulhuda Bte Mohamed Nitec in Pastry & Baking 6