Knowledge by, for and about newcomers

Knowledge by, for and about newcomers

A conversation with Abdel Harchaoui of DOK030 about the Pizzaiolo initiative aimed at the hospitality industry

Can you talk briefly about DOK030?
DOK030 originated from the needs in the Overvecht district of Utrecht. There was a need for a place where people could go if they had ambitions to develop themselves further, to work together or to start a business. From this idea came the idea to offer a place for entrepreneurs where they can realize their plan. We also offer opportunities for talent development. We focus mainly on young people. The talent development initiatives focus on practice. Young people then come into contact with the business world. In this way, they gain experience in the professional field.

And how did Pizzaiolo's project come about?
We also look at the market. And from there the pizza project was born. There is a lack of good pizza bakers in the hospitality industry. Also vocational education is not responding to this. I myself have a background as a policy officer at the MBO. Together with a former colleague and a few other people, we have developed a training program to become pizza bakers. The course consists of theory, practice and a bit of social guidance. The goal is to give people with a distance to the labor market perspective through a good education.

We have been at it for about 3.5 years now. At the beginning it was like a course. Later the SVH decided that by participating in our training you receive a nationally recognized diploma. So last year twenty participants completed our project with a diploma. The first twenty qualified pizza bakers in the Netherlands! We received a lot of media attention for this.

You can read more about this at www.italiaanshoreca.nl. And this is a link for an example:

https://www.missethoreca.nl/restaurant/nieuws/2019/03/eerste-diplomas-svh-pizzaiolo-uitgereikt-101317581?_ga=2.152312698.2119181764.1591796401-1249737259.1567070550

What does the trajectory look like?
It is a broad hospitality course. You will learn general preparation techniques and cutting techniques. Eventually you will specialize as a pizza baker. The course takes three months. We used to start with theory and then practice. Now this runs in parallel. This works better. We have also put more effort into digitalization, so that participants can also practice from home. In addition, we saw from previous groups that language was sometimes an obstacle. Therefore, we now also offer language lessons. Prior to each theory lesson, participants receive two hours of language lessons in technical jargon. These words recur during the theory lesson. So from 10:00 to 12:00 they get language lessons and from 13:00 to 15:00 theory lessons. This works a lot better. The participants also get the HACCP (hygiene code) exam. All the participants in this group have passed the HACCP certificate. Theory is important, but ultimately it's about your craftsmanship. This is the focus during the training. Of course you have to know what the name is for utensils and ingredients, but when the restaurant is busy you just have to turn pizzas and work. Not many words are needed for that. Every participant does an internship. We support some participants in arranging an internship. After completing the practical lessons, internship and theory, they have to take a test according to SVH guidelines. If they score a pass, the participants receive an industry-recognized diploma. Due to corona measures, we have limited the number of internship hours to 40 hours. The theory is two days a week.

Do you have a great example of a newcomer who got a job in the hospitality industry through this initiative?
Some participants want to start their own business. From the previous groups, there were two participants who showed tremendous commitment during the program and worked extremely hard during their internship. They got a job and then started their own business. We supported them in this. They now have their own catering business. This is great!

They started with a) a diploma to become a pizza baker b) work experience c) a job d) their own business. So we can also offer a follow-up trajectory after the pizza baker training. DOK030 originated from the needs in the Overvecht district of Utrecht. There was a need for a place where people could go if they had ambitions to develop themselves further, to work together or to start a business.

What do you think is the success factor of your initiative?
It is a pathway that leads participants to the demand in the labor market. If you train them practically then they have a good chance. It can eventually lead to other professions as well. For example, one person started working as a truck driver and another as a cook. You see people pick up. They gain work experience through this program, regain rhythm, get to know new people and see that they themselves have the key to open doors. It offers perspective. Participants feel like moving on again. So this can also make people want to continue learning after the training.

How do you proceed during the corona period?
The theory classes are at DOK030. We have made the room corona-proof. This means that there is 1.5 meters distance and everything is equipped with what is needed according to the RIVM. The space is wider so that we have room for all twelve participants.

We now do practice in two groups. The space is too small otherwise. So one group in the morning and one group in the afternoon.

We are now hard at work arranging placements for all the participants who started the program this year. We are also networking heavily to be able to place some of the participants upon completion of the training. How and if this will work, we don't know yet. It also depends on the measures from the government. If the measures are further relaxed, this may also offer more opportunities for our candidates. 

What do you think is the biggest challenge?
The language level of participants can vary enormously. We try to map out the language level before the program starts. Still, for some participants it is very difficult to reach the requested level. This says nothing about their motivation. We have to select better ourselves. One of the things we are working on is developing a language test with the Language Office. This language test is based on the level of theory and the SVH exam. People who apply have to take this test. In this way we can better assess whether we can raise the candidates we hire to the requested level.

What are your two most important insights about newcomers & working in the Netherlands?
The first insight is that you have to work from the intrinsic motivation of the participant in your approach. Newcomers are highly motivated to actively participate in Dutch society. The second insight is that it is very important to work towards a clear goal. Offering a pathway where the end goal remains vague is demotivating for participants. Our pizza maker course takes these insights into account.

DOK030 is part of The Fundament : Newcomers & Work. This platform supports social initiatives focused on construction, care, entrepreneurship and hospitality, and builds knowledge on what does and does not work for the passage of newcomers to the labor market.

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