at-sunrice answers call to provide Sars relief training

A concerted industry effort by at-sunrice, Ministry of Manpower, NTUC and Singapore Tourism Board, to roll out training programmes to help the tourism and F&B industry tide through the downturn.

Singapore (PRWEB) June 21, 2003 -sunrice was contacted by the Singapore Tourism Board to provide Sars Relief Tourism Training Assistance (SRTTA) training programmes to hotel and F&B employees. The tourism industry has seen a decline in arrivals by about 70% in the month of May.

The downturn has had a tremendous impact on the tourism industry. STB called us and we responded swiftly by rolling out training programmes. Ministry of Manpower and NTUC gave us their full support. They came to check on our course content and hands-on kitchen facilities before approving our application to be a Skills Redevelopment Trainer," says Kwan Lui (Mrs), director, at-sunrice.

at-sunrices first SRTTA course is Cooking Asian Cuisines with Fresh Herbs and Spices". The first batch of training graduates from the Ritz-Carlton gave the at-sunrice course the thumbs-up. 25 out of the 30 students rated the course 10/10.

A motley crew of chefs, concierge, guest relations executives, housekeeping, valet and marketing executives attended. They walked away with a deeper appreciation of the nuances, flavours and spices of Asian Cuisine.

Our chef instructors are all full-time ethnic chefs. We have a Thai chef for Thai cuisine, a China chef for Chinese cuisine and so on. All our students rate the chefs and the chefs are required to maintain a grade of 8 out of 10 in terms of clarity, knowledge, humour and inspiration," says Kwan Lui.

Every student gets to cook hands-on 27 different dishes covering 5 Asian Cuisines: Singapore, Thai, Malay, Indian and Chinese. They also learn experientially through educational workshops in the 1822 Spice Garden, Thai Market, Tekka Market, Geylang Serai and Chinatown Market. By cooking in teams, they learnt the value of teamwork in preparing and serving up a delicious meal. They also realised that it takes everyone in the service line to contribute and add value to keep customers coming back.

"The course gave me a wonderful insight on Asian Cuisine and exposed me to hands-on cooking. It was a learning experience and the chefs at-sunrice are very knowledgeable and professional," says Regional
Sales Manager Mona Ismail of The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. "I am delighted that the Ritz Carlton sent me to attend this course. It also allowed me to get to know my colleagues better through time spent cooking alongside with them."

Other hotels that have signed up include the Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Four Seasons and Pan-Pacific. at-sunrice will be rolling out more courses. To get the latest course updates, email to zeke@at-sunrice.com

About Sars Relief Training Assistance:
Under the Sars Relief Tourism Training Assistance (SRTTA) scheme, the government pays an employer $6.90 an hour for every worker aged 40 or older and fully-subsidizes the course fees. For workers 40 and below, the government pays $6.50 an hour and 90% of the course fees. It is part of the government's $230 million relief package for an industry that is estimated to lose up to $5 billion over the next 12 months.

About at-sunrice:
at-sunrice is a centre for involvement in Asian food, culinary skills and craftware. The academy at-sunrice offers cutting-edge education programs to culinary professionals who wish to fast-track their careers. The programs focus on hands-on training and experiential learning of culinary techniques and methodologies. Located in Fort Canning Park, it also provides an opportunity for residents and overseas visitors to be involved in culinary arts and hospitality. For more information and media downloads visit www.at-sunrice.com

Please note that the mention of "at-sunrice" should include the hyphen between the two words in the name and that the symbol @ should not be used as part of the name.

© 2003 at-sunrice
20 June 2003