Hospitality Gateway

Hospitality Gateway gives senior school students the chance to learn on-the-job in a real hospitality workplace. If you're thinking about a career in hospitality and want to find out if you're well suited to this industry, Hospitality Gateway is a great option for you.

Hospitality Gateway is available through the Hospitality Standards Institue (HSI). Find out more about Gateway on their website.

Get a Taste for a Career in Hospitality

For Heni Hautapu, participating in Gateway led her to the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor where she is currently completing her HSI Modern Apprenticeship in Cookery. Heni was attending Wellington East Girls' College when her hospitality teacher introduced her to Kupsami Gunder, Executive Chef at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor.

Armed with her passion for food and her enthusiasm for being a chef, Heni and her parents sat down with Kupsami and he explained the pros and cons of being a chef.

Heni’s Gateway work placement at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor involved her working one day per week, doing an eight hour shift in the hotel’s kitchen. Heni started with the basics of cookery: learning pastry and making tarts and flans first. She then moved through different sections of the kitchen and experienced what it was like to have a career as a chef. She was in her work placement for around six months and gained good experience, learning about the kitchen environment and various methods of cookery.

Kupsami, an Executive Chef with over 20 years experience, started his career as an apprentice in Fiji in 1987 then moved to various restaurants within New Zealand before arriving at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor where he has been for a number of years. He says he believes that on-the-job experience through Gateway and a Modern Apprenticeship is the best way to start a career in cookery. An HSI apprenticeship allows budding chefs to build their practical experience step by step. Apprentices know what they are in for right from the beginning.

If you are interested in a career in hospitality, Gateway is the best way to get an insight into the workplace, the environment, the hours and what is expected of people working in this sector. Then, once you finish school, you can move into a Modern Apprenticeship, which will enable you to learn while you earn through structured modules over three years. It's “definitely the best way to train your chefs” says Kupsami.

If you, your school or organisation would like to know more about the opportunities the Gateway programme can give you, please contact your local HSI Regional Advisor.