The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Serving those who stand and wait

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Monday, Jul 21, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Serving those who stand and wait

Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed

Workshop on modular employable skills held for waiters

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Sharpening their skills: Waiters learning the table-laying excise at a workshop in Bangalore.

Bangalore: Twenty eager and bright faces look up at Eric Jacob as he says: “Your aim should be that you are the best in what you do.” It is half past 11 on a Tuesday morning and Jacob is addressing a batch of 20 waiters employed at the Konark Vegetarian Restaurant on Residency Road at this first workshop on Modular Employable Skills (MES).

One of the younger participants, Shivmal, who has three years experience working as a waiter, raises his hand and asks, “Sir, if there are 10 people in our team of waiters and there is one person who always has a different opinion, how do we deal with that?” Jacob gives an answer talking about how different opinions will always be present, but in a team everyone should work together.

This workshop on Food and Beverage Service as part of training for MES was conducted for the employees of the Konark hotel. “The idea behind this training is to give these waiters a sense of confidence and professionalism in what they do,” says Mr. Jacob, who is a vocational training provider certified by the Union Ministry of Labour to conduct workshops in MES. At the end of the two-week training, the employees will be certified by the Ministry of Labour after which their chances of seeking employment and dignity of their work will be enhanced. Earlier, A.J. Philips, former station waiter at the Grand Ashok, who is responsible for conducting the technical part of the workshop, taught a group of senior waiters the right way to lay a table for breakfast.

“I am responsible for teaching these waiters about hygiene, health, nutrition and other technical aspects such as the right service practice, ” he says.

Ramesh, a veteran waiter at Konark, says: “I have been working as a waiter for more than 30 years, but I am learning several useful things at this workshop.”

Girish Kumar, manager of the Konark Vegetarian Restaurant, says: “Earlier, we thought that only five star hotels needed to have such training. But with this training, our employees will gain a lot and become better at their job.”

Jacob has several other workshops in the hospitality industry lined up in the coming weeks with Sweet Chariot and Adigas. Also, his plans are more ambitious, and in the coming months he wants to train primary school educated unemployed youth of the minority and backward communities in the hospitality sector by conducting six-week workshops that will certify them and make it easy for them to find jobs. Mr. Jacob can be contacted on 9845162653 or ericjacobd@hotmail.com.

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