As we are quickly approaching the mid-point of the semester and the splendor of the fall season is upon us, we once again pause to take in the natural beauty and resources of the Lakes Region. As our region transitions from summer into fall, we will continue to welcome visitors who come to enjoy all our landscapes have to offer. As a result, the hospitality sector will be in full swing.
Speaking of hospitality, Lakes Region Community College has been busy with a significant upgrade to the teaching laboratories for our hospitality programs. Recently, The Laconia Daily Sun reported on the grant we received from the Northern Border Regional Commission to complete the next two phases of renovations. These funds will help create a pastry arts teaching laboratory, provide much-needed refrigeration and storage space, and enable us to build out a dining facility once we finish raising necessary matching funds.
The hospitality industry is a core component of our region’s economy. There is great demand for skilled labor. The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security projects that food preparation and serving-related occupations will add 5,300 jobs by 2026. The industry categories of accommodation and food services and beverages were expected to grow by 2.8 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively, for the same period.
As the region’s community college, part of our mission is to focus on growth industries and align our academic programming with workforce demand. By doing so, we ensure there is a pipeline of trained graduates who have learned both in the classroom and through hands-on experience in professional environments, so they are work-ready from day one.
This is why we are investing in enhancing our hospitality programs, which include degrees in culinary and pastry arts, and hotel and restaurant operations, as well as additional certificate programs. New equipment, such as baker’s ovens, double-stacked convection ovens, burners and 12-student stations with induction burners are already in use. Before we had these in-house resources, students did their lab work offsite at Belmont Mill, Canterbury Shaker Village and Concord High School. These off-site locations meant that our students had to travel significant distances to attend classes, incurring the additional costs of time and money to complete their studies.
Looking at the big picture, it comes as no surprise that restaurants alone are a huge economic driver and employer nationally. According to the National Restaurant Association, there are more than one million restaurants employing about 15.3 million people nationally in 2019, or approximately 10 percent of the workforce. The sector is estimated to produce $863 billion in sales for 2019.
From a workforce perspective, one in three Americans had their first job experience in a restaurant, and nearly six in 10 adults worked in a restaurant at some point. These experiences resonated with many and turned into career pathways. The National Restaurant Association reported that nine out of 10 restaurant managers, and eight in 10 restaurant owners, started in entry-level positions. These numbers mean the majority of people who started out working in restaurants became leaders and owners. Through our program, we want to further enhance this opportunity and the growth of small businesses so vital to our region.
We have a great track record thus far. I would like to share just three student success stories.
Candace graduated from Plymouth Regional High School and enrolled at LRCC, where she completed degrees in culinary and pastry arts in 2016. She was placed with the Common Man Family of Restaurants during her studies and currently serves as a chef at the Lakehouse restaurant and banquet facility. Candace benefited from the hands-on experiences and the relationships she built during her co-ops. The program supplied the labor that industry partners needed, but more importantly provided a context in which the employer can help develop the student into a long-term employee.
Marius began his studies at LRCC in 2014, taking full advantage of the program’s close partnership with T-BONES and Cactus Jack’s. Marius continued to work with T-BONES and Cactus Jack’s in a variety of positions while pursuing his education. He completed an associate’s degree in restaurant management in 2015, earned a bachelor’s degree from the New England Culinary Institute and a master’s degree from Plymouth State University. Marius is now manager at the Town Docks Restaurant, part of the Common Man Family. For Marius and students like him, the possibility of paid employment as a component of the program of study opened doors to an education that otherwise would have been financially unattainable.
Heidi is owner and operator of the Pleasant View Bed and Breakfast in Bristol. Heidi purchased the inn in 2004 and began operating it with little formal training in hotel operations. She enrolled in LRCC’s restaurant management certificate program to enhance her knowledge of the industry. After completing her coursework, Heidi has returned to LRCC as an adjunct instructor, sharing her own experiences with future hospitality industry employees.
Career pathways in culinary studies can lead to jobs and the possibility of owning a business. We’re working hard to make sure that LRCC can provide the highest level of training and education, combined with in-house and on-site, real-world learning. All of us have a role to play in ensuring the prosperity of our communities. Part of LRCC’s role is developing a source of skilled professionals to fill the jobs that are available today and into the future in the Lakes Region and beyond. Come in for a tour – there might be some tasty treats in the oven.
•••
Larissa Baia is the president of Lakes Region Community College, a fully accredited, comprehensive community college in the Lakes Region that serves over 1,200 students annually.