Even as it continues to serve as a springboard from which thousands of young people launch their own businesses and careers, or advance their studies at international culinary schools, the Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) plans to develop its focus on hospitality.
It currently offers a wide range of courses, including the Diploma in Catering and Hospitality, Diploma in Nutrition for Dietary Technician, Certificate in Commercial Food Preparation, Certificate in General Cosmetology, Certificate in Garment Making (Level 1), Certificate in Interior Decoration, Certificate in Childcare Management (Level 2), Certificate in Care for Elderly (Level 2), Certificate in Housekeeping (Level 2), and Certificate in Household Management.
But expansion is in the offing once the new hospitality school is built. It has been earmarked for construction and will be funded from the $2 billion approved in the budget for the tourism and hospitality industry. Expected to take four years to complete, it is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, CSHE, the University of Guyana and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana.
At present, hospitality is only a small part of what is being offered at the school. Acting Principal Sharmaine Marshall noted that it is one of 11 support subjects in the Catering and Hospitality Diploma course, where the core subjects are Food and Beverage Service, Bake Shop/Garde Manger, and Hot Meals Preparation. “Students, when they graduate from Carnegie, they are well-rounded,” she said. Recently students who trained with Carnegie have been contracted indirectly in the oil and gas sector by catering companies.
Marshall pointed out that CSHE’s flagship programme is catering and hospitality so that when its students graduate they can enter the culinary industry as cooks, but hospitality has been in the forefront for a number of years. “… We are focusing on developing the hospitality arm of our institution,” Marshall explained.
The Catering and Hospitality course primarily focuses on, but is not limited to, local cuisine. Students are exposed to the industry through work attachments where they are given hands-on training at places like Grand Coastal Inn, Herdmanston Lodge, Hot and Spicy, Oasis Café, Princess Ramada Hotel, or the Georgetown Public Hospital, depending on what the student is studying.
CSHE recently completed its first online Caregiver Programme and a batch of Guyana Defence Force soldiers graduated from a bartending course. It also completed hospitality training in collaboration with Basic Needs Trust Fund in Linden and Georgetown.
The courses at Carnegie are 60 per cent hands-on, but despite COVID, the school has not had to close. For the theory part of the programme, students are taught online, while for the practical aspect, a rotation system was created so that they are not all at the school at the same time and a rigid sanitization system was put in place. The online classes, explained the acting principal, have made learning easier for students, in spite of obvious challenges such as poor internet. Since going online, CSHE admitted two students studying from abroad while one from Region One is doing the course without having to be in the city. For these students, CSHE has set a convenient time to have their practical lessons done. At present, the Care for the Elderly and Child Care Management courses are being provided solely online. The flexibility of the classes has seen more working people becoming students.
Acting Vice President Tandika Griffith said the school currently has an average of 150 students, half of the 300-plus it attracted prior to COVID-19.
“The Diploma in Catering and Hospitality is the largest programme. We attract about 70 percent females, 30 percent males but there are a lot of men who are now coming to our institution to be trained. There has been an increase since ExxonMobil has been here,” said Griffith.
She noted that usually men prefer to take the evening classes. However, as a result of the pandemic, these classes have stopped for about a year now. The Ministry of Education has provided projectors and camcorders, among other equipment, so that teaching can be executed more effectively online and in person.
Carnegie Tracer Study
The school is currently working on the completion of a project called ‘Carnegie Tracer Study’, where graduates can visit the website and fill out a Google form in which they share where they are today in their careers. This gives CSHE a better idea of how many people graduated, the relevance of the curriculum, and where they are in the world. “We have seen persons who are 60, 70 years old, upon returning to Guyana, coming to visit us for certificates they would have done a long time ago,” Griffith enthused.
Both Marshall and Griffith are CSHE graduates.
Teachers at CSHE are always looking to enhance their level of studies. Some have gone on to UG, some studied in Barbados on government scholarships and at present two staff members are currently pursuing studies there. Proposals are currently in place to have teachers trained by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. All of the CSHE teachers are trained teachers while some have master’s degrees. The school currently has 23 instructors and about 24 auxiliary staff members. Additionally, sometimes international instructors teach courses.
CSHE has since forged a relationship with Newrest, a global leader in multi-sector catering, contracted to ExxonMobil. Though the relationship is yet to be cemented formally, from time to time Newrest chefs visit the school to provide training in French cuisine.
One of the prides of the CSHE is What’s Cooking in Guyana. This cookbook has more than 1,000 recipes, most of which were contributed by the school. The book is available for purchase at the school.
When it was first established in 1933 by Scotsman Andrew Carnegie it was called the Carnegie Trade School and had a section which was developed particularly for producing custom-made ladies’ clothing and uniforms for government messengers. Sometime between 1953 and 1973, the school was renamed Carnegie School of Home Economics, with the objective being to provide the opportunity for women to learn the skills and attitudes essential for a good home, family and community life. CSHE has evolved a lot since then.
“We are not narrowing our delivery. We are preparing our students for the local market as well as in the Caribbean and further afield,” said Marshall.
The school’s Hibiscus Training Restaurant, now closed to the public owing to COVID-19, allows for students to prepare dishes, and practice waiting and customer service skills. Through this students have a better idea of the restaurant experience.
The school can be found on Facebook and Instagram @Carnegie School of Home Economics or at the websites https://carnegieguyana.com/ and https://carnegieguyana.com/carnegie-alumni/
