Training for Success at Cosmopolitan Club

Almost a quarter of the 90 staff at the Cosmopolitan Club in Upper Hutt are paying to train on the job to achieve National Qualifications through the Hospitality Standards Institute.

“Beginning with a check of their communication and calculation skills before they start, the Club’s cookery and food and beverage trainees meet in weekly study groups on a voluntary basis with an assessor to support them,’ says HSI Literacy Advisor, Dianne Boss.

All staff are provided with regular on-the-job training and the Club has developed a range of assessment types to ensure staff are adequately trained in their roles. 

“When we first introduced formal training, there was no cost to the trainees and all the study was completed in paid time with internal support. Actually, it didn’t work very well,” says Cossie Club Operations manager, Graeme Jarvis.  “Staff took a long time to complete their units and the day-to-day operation of the business often meant they postponed their sessions.” Assessor, Jo Smith of Pommygranate Training adds that, “A lot of the trainees struggled on their own. They often didn’t know what questions to ask and some of them even tried too hard. They made their answers more complicated than they needed to be.”

Graeme adds that “Our trainees now make a financial commitment to the training; they are reimbursed when they finish. We’ve kept the internal mentoring and coaching support but regular sessions with the external assessor have really improved our consistency. Our trainees are really gaining confidence and helping their team-mates more often now.”

HSI Clubs Advisor Dianne McKellar is very pleased to see the progress being made with training at the Club and that the staff’s enthusiasm to up-skill themselves is growing. She works closely with the Cossie Club managers to match HSI’s training programmes with their needs, and with clubs around New Zealand.

For information about our training programmes, contact 0800 275 4474 or info@hsi.co.nz