New hospitality program aims to get workers back into restaurants

When the pandemic forced restaurants to close or cut-back, many workers never returned.

Jason Smith, owner of Cantina 18 in Raleigh and Harvest 18 in Durham, said while things have gotten better. It's not in a place where he can open a third restaurant due to a shortage of workers.

"Things have slowly gotten better, but there is still some ways to go," Smith said. "There is not chance I would try to go down that road right now. The staffing crisis feels like it has set in and is a little bit here to stay.”

Smith said in better times he would interview a couple qualified job candidates every months, now he might have one "every four to six months."

But a new grant might get people back on the job.

The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) Foundation is administering a $1.1 million hospitality workforce program and online portal.

The money for the training program comes from the US Economic Development Administration and the American Rescue Plan.

The program, which aims to refuel North Carolina's restaurant and hospitality businesses and combat lingering labor shortages, supplies free training courses, certifications and educational resources.

The grant, according to Lynn Minges, NCRLA CEO, is meant to help restaurants get back to where they were before the pandemic.

"Buinesses are still struggling across the state," Minges said. "We need many more workers, there are some that say we need as many as 30,000 or 40,000 more workers to meet the current demands."

Some of the courses specific targets for this training program include:

• Career and Technical Education Programs
• Post-Secondary Education Programs
• Workforce Entry and Re-Entry
• Employees Currently Working in the Hospitality Industry.

Minges said some of the course can be completed in as little as half-an-hour, "so they are ready to hit the ground running."

Those who are interested in gaining these skills can get started by getting online. For Smith, Its going to make things easier for workers to return.

“The grant, i think, is going to make it more feasible for people to get back into the industry.” Smith said.

Those interested in going through the training can find it here.