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Barnaby’s—where work experience can lead to an apprenticeship
Michael Fischer, owner of Barnaby’s Restaurant, really contributes to career awareness for students in the Parramatta area. That’s because he takes up to 20 work experience students in any given year.
To help participants make the most of the experience, Michael gives each student a set of responsibilities they must ‘shoulder’ during their week with the restaurant. At the end of the placement, students who feel up to it are invited to cook a meal for one of the restaurant’s most critical audiences—the staff!
Following work experience, Barnaby’s often offers casual work to students who are keen to pursue an apprenticeship. These students can work at the restaurant and complete their education. Then, in the holidays between the end of school and beginning of an apprenticeship, they can earn enough money to pay for the knives and uniforms they need to start their course.
Barnaby’s has taken on more than a dozen apprentices in this way, and the approach has been very successful. According to Michael, by the time these young people start an apprenticeship they know their co-workers, are familiar with their surroundings, have quite a few skills and settle more readily into the job.
Some of the success that stems from work experience placements can be attributed to Barnaby’s solid relationship with schools in the Parramatta area. Staff members at these schools know what Barnaby’s is looking for in a possible apprentice, so they try to place students who are well suited and looking for a long-term career.