[T]he New England Culinary Institute signed two contracts last week that are intended to bolster its shrinking student population.
NECI reached deals with the U.S. Coast Guard and Sandals Resorts to provide training for chefs in both organizations, according to an Aug. 21 news release.
Richard Flies, acting president of NECI, said that these contracts will begin to address the declining number of students at the school.
“This is a way to diversify our revenue stream outside of just resident students,” Flies said.
The new partnerships will lead NECI into focusing on training more for the hospitality industry, according to the news release. NECI spokesman Philip Stevens said the school will design the training program to fit Sandals’ needs.
“It’s also a great way for some of these students, from Sandals for example, to come up to Vermont to train and some of them may decide to go for an advanced culinary Stevens said.
NECI offers a “hands-on education” at the Certificate, Associate in Occupational Studies and Bachelor of Arts levels, according to the release.
The partnership between NECI and Sandals Resorts will be for three years and NECI will work in conjunction with Sandals Corporate University, the release said. Sandals offers vacation packages at its resort properties in the Caribbean.
Flies said the agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard is a one-time contract for a 28-day training program they will begin Sept. 21. He said that 24 U.S. Coast Guard officers participate in a training program at NECI.
“The skill level of a lot of these chefs that are in the military is really high,” Stevens said. “They have some really incredible competitions. These officers that will be coming up to us are really junior level, though.”
Flies said that it was a big deal for NECI to win the Coast Guard contract because they were in competition with several other schools across the country.
Though it isn’t really part of its education model, NECI is trying to meet the requests for chefs from businesses, Stevens said.
“There’s such a demand for our graduates that it’s impossible for us to fill the requests of employers,” Stevens said. “So many people approach us and say, ‘Hey, we’re looking for a chef.’”
NECI is essentially trying to train the industry’s existing workforce, Stevens said.