Written by the National Restaurant Association
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D
elaware has given a resounding
endorsement to culinary arts and
foodservice as a career path by
including the ProStart program in a new
statewide initiative to give students valuable
workforce skills that will serve them both in
the workforce and higher education.
The “Pathways to Prosperity” initiative, a
partnershipbetweenuniversities,businesses,
schools, employers and universities that
focuses on giving students skills to help
them succeed in the changing economy, will
provide students with specialized, hands-on
training that leads to both a professional
certification and college credits that can
be used if the student chooses to continue
their education. Delaware became the 11
th
state to join the program last March.
Pathways to Prosperity is run through
the Harvard Graduate School of
Education. Robert Schwartz, a professor
of education at Harvard and co-leader
of Pathways to Prosperity, spoke at
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell’s February
announcement of the initiative.
“We have long known that educational
attainment is tied to career success,” Schwartz
said. “What’s different now is that it’s no
longer simply about how much education
you get, but specifically whether you are
learning the right skills. The types of career
and technical education programs we’re
discussing today are increasingly valuable.”
The National Restaurant Association’s
ProStart program is the sole culinary and
hospitality training program recognized by
the program. Delaware recently awarded a
$500,000 grant to help boost the Pathways
to Prosperity initiative, which will formally
launch its training programs in the fall.
Culinary arts and hospitality training will
be offered in the first year of the initiative.
Finance and health care programs will be
added in the second year.
Advocacy by the Delaware Restaurant
Association was key to ProStart’s inclusion
in the initiative.
“I wanted the state to look at ProStart
and recognize it as an approved level
of coursework,” said DRA CEO Carrie
Leishman. “We were looking for an official
nod of recognition.” ProStart’s focus on
career skills caught the eye of Gov. Jack
Markell, who was looking for ways to
provide students with real-world skills.
“All states are looking at workforce
development,”Leishman said. “Gov.Markell
was looking outside the box at education
initiatives.” ProStart fit the bill because it
aligned with Pathways to Prosperity’s focus
on students gaining knowledge that meets
the needs of the state’s economy.
“ProStart’s inclusion in the initiative
came after a labor market analysis
showed a growing demand for restaurant,
foodservice and hospitality employees that
is expected to continue for the next several
years”, said Luke Rhine, director of career
and technical education for the Delaware
Department of Education.
“We were looking for key industry sectors
where the state could make a strategic
investment,” Rhine said. “When looking at
which programs to include in the initiative,
state officials considered whether programs
aligned with economic trends in the state had
the capacity to get off the ground quickly”,
Rhine said. “ProStart met both criteria.”
“ProStart provides a great infrastructure,
with a defined curriculum, established
learning model and assessments,” Rhine
said. “The DRA has been fantastic. They’re
helping us build a model of learning that is
consistent with the program.”
ProStart is currently in 13 schools
in Delaware, with 1,700 students
participating. “And interest is growing,”
Leishman said. “We’re igniting a lot of
passion. There are organizations and
people in Delaware who are looking at
us as the model answer to challenges in
public education in the state.”
ProStart Leads the Way
in State Education Initiative
