The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted Gradia permission to organise English language vocational qualification training in the restaurant and catering industry as of 1 January 2023. English language training responds to the industry’s regional labour needs, improves the employment situation of the foreign language speaking population, and strengthens the viability and competitiveness of businesses in the region. Gradia is the only institution in Central Finland that has permission to organise training in the restaurant and catering industry in English.

There have been significant challenges in recruiting staff for the accommodation, restaurant and catering industry in Central Finland in 2021 and 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry saw a large number of temporary layoffs, which led to people applying for retraining and moving to other industries. Until now, efforts to facilitate the recruitment of new employees have been made, for example, with training financed by businesses and the ELY Centre and organised in cooperation with the TE services.

“There has been a shortage of applicants for training in the restaurant and catering industry for some time already, which means that it has been impossible to train enough experts for the industry’s needs,” says Pirjo Kauhanen, Principal at Gradia Jyväskylä. “The fact that vocational qualification training has only been available in Finnish has partially limited the number of applications for training in the restaurant and catering industry by foreign language speakers. Our new English language training programme makes it possible for those people to study and find employment in the industry, which alleviates the industry’s shortage of experts.”

The restaurant and catering industry is an international industry where English is an established working language in growth centres like Jyväskylä. Gradia’s partner businesses have long been hoping for vocational qualification training in the restaurant and catering industry in English to support quicker paths to employment for the foreign language speaking population. For the Keskimaa Cooperative Society, the permission to organise training in English is welcome news.

“We have a constant need for experts in the restaurant industry, and we are happy to employ restaurant industry experts who speak Finnish as well as those who speak other languages, and people who want to develop into professionals,” says Keskimaa Cooperative Society’s human resources director and chairman of Gradia’s working life delegation Kaisamaria Thusberg. “Gradia is a familiar and trusted partner, and the start of this training programme in Jyväskylä is important to us.”

Gradia’s first training programme in English will start in January 2024, and admissions will use a rolling application procedure.