Participants reflect positively as training on food serving and catering concludes

JMP–L’s first vocational training course on “Food Serving and Catering for Various Occasions,” held from March till May 2008 at the Mesrobian TechnicalCollege in Bourj Hammoud, concluded successfully.

Participants practice decoration of dishes in the kitchen of the Mesrobian Technical College.
Participants practice decoration of dishes in the kitchen of the Mesrobian Technical College.

With its diversity of topics, the training provided a comprehensive experience to participants in a well-organized three-month schedule. The well-rounded program included not only food-preparation-related sessions, but also courses on other helpful skills needed and issues encountered by young women who are or might be interested in becoming employed.

Twenty-one women coming from a variety of social, economic and educational backgrounds participated in the training, driven by their perseverance and hunger for knowledge.

The questions they asked and their active participation in the discussions showed their keen interest in the subjects.

During the evaluation of the training, most participants reflected positively on their experiences. The evaluation results showed that the majority of the trainees found the overall duration and organization of the program very good. Also, five out of 18 of the trainees found jobs after the training. The rest had personal reasons for not working.

The program also included classes given by twelve professional trainers.
The program also included classes given by twelve professional trainers.

These are the thoughts some of the participants expressed during the evaluation of the program:

    • “It was a very encouraging and interesting project. Personally, I was very satisfied and learned a lot, especially from the first aid, nutrition, and interpersonal skills sessions.” (A.A.)
    • “I wish you could always organize this kind of trainings, especially on such topics as employee rights and obligations … and safety and emergency [in the kitchen]…” (N.S.)
    • “I am very thankful for this training session. I learned new things, things that I didn’t know. I deeply thank the Jinishian Memorial Program–Lebanon and the Mesrobian Technical College for giving us the chance to participate in this training.” (S.H.)
    • “I hope these training sessions continue for the coming years.” (P.K.)

> Read about the project.

Important note: In some of the stories, the names of beneficiaries have not been used or have been changed for the sake of privacy orconfidentiality.