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Chick-fil-A Restaurants Team Up with the NRAEF to Inspire Food Service Careers
July 23, 2024
Local Owner-Operators pilot programs from Arkansas to Maryland
Caring for others is central to all that we do at Chick-fil-A. A new partnership between Chick-fil-A and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) helps us pay it forward while advancing our community goals.
For almost 30 years, NRAEF programs have empowered current and future restaurant and foodservice workers with skills, certifications and opportunities to build a career in the industry. These initiatives are designed to equip people from all backgrounds and at any stage of their career journey—from high school to management and beyond. The ProStart® program, specifically, is one of the longest-running NRAEF programs, partnering with more than 2,100 schools across all 50 states. At least half the participants come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Restaurants are a space of immense opportunity, strengthening communities and empowering people from all backgrounds with pathways to build their future,” says NRAEF President Rob Gifford. “We’re grateful to partners like Chick-fil-A, who share our vision of a growing and thriving restaurant workforce.”
The Power of Partnerships
The Chick-fil-A brand’s connection to NRAEF began in 2021 with Natalie Martz, a local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operator in Maryland, who chairs the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s Education Foundation NRAEF-Maryland Board.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, it occurred to me that we could align Chick-fil-A’s training with that offered by the NRAEF’s Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center and potentially build a great pipeline of talent,” said Natalie. “Another appealing aspect is we can take employees we already have and put them through the apprenticeship program to acquire specific skills, which is a win-win for us and our Team Members.”
Natalie and her team worked for a year to gain certification that would enable Chick-fil-A® restaurants to host NRAEF apprentices.
Multiple Collaboration Opportunities are Possible with NRAEF:
• ProStart is a 2-year culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students, which exposes them to opportunities and pathways in the restaurant industry, culinary and restaurant management basics and best practices. Students have the opportunity to graduate with a Certificate of Achievement, which can translate into college credit.
• Youth Registered Apprenticeships offer hands-on mentoring and work experience to 17 to 24-year-olds who already work in or are entering the food service industry as an apprentice and want to advance to line cook, kitchen manager or restaurant manager positions. When participants complete the competency-based apprenticeship training and coursework, they receive a U.S. Department of Labor certificate of completion for their training focus.
• Restaurant Ready helps individuals gain the basic job and life skills necessary to achieve entry-level success in a restaurant. Participants include military veterans moving into civilian life, young adults just starting their careers and promising candidates from at-risk communities who want a fresh start.
Partnerships in Action
In Arkansas, multiple Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators are in the process of forming a statewide ProStart program with local public schools. They may host field trips, lead mentoring sessions and even provide internships to qualified teens.
In addition, 13 Operators in Colorado, Delaware and Maryland are involved with Youth Registered Apprenticeships. Historically, NRAEF outcomes demonstrate these apprentices make great employees, representing an 80% retention rate over other workers.
So far, local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators in Delaware have hired Restaurant Ready graduates, with others in Colorado open to hiring more in the coming months. The collaboration between Chick-fil-A and the NRAEF exemplifies the commitment local Owner-Operators make to invest in their Team Members and others in their communities. Creating opportunities for advancement is a fundamental way Chick-fil-A restaurants support and strengthen the communities they serve.
To learn more about how Chick-fil-A restaurants are providing opportunities for advancement to Team Members and beyond, visit https://www.chick-fil-a.com/corporate-social-responsibility.
Local Owner-Operators pilot programs from Arkansas to Maryland
Caring for others is central to all that we do at Chick-fil-A. A new partnership between Chick-fil-A and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) helps us pay it forward while advancing our community goals.
For almost 30 years, NRAEF programs have empowered current and future restaurant and foodservice workers with skills, certifications and opportunities to build a career in the industry. These initiatives are designed to equip people from all backgrounds and at any stage of their career journey—from high school to management and beyond. The ProStart® program, specifically, is one of the longest-running NRAEF programs, partnering with more than 2,100 schools across all 50 states. At least half the participants come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Restaurants are a space of immense opportunity, strengthening communities and empowering people from all backgrounds with pathways to build their future,” says NRAEF President Rob Gifford. “We’re grateful to partners like Chick-fil-A, who share our vision of a growing and thriving restaurant workforce.”
The Power of Partnerships
The Chick-fil-A brand’s connection to NRAEF began in 2021 with Natalie Martz, a local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operator in Maryland, who chairs the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s Education Foundation NRAEF-Maryland Board.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, it occurred to me that we could align Chick-fil-A’s training with that offered by the NRAEF’s Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center and potentially build a great pipeline of talent,” said Natalie. “Another appealing aspect is we can take employees we already have and put them through the apprenticeship program to acquire specific skills, which is a win-win for us and our Team Members.”
Natalie and her team worked for a year to gain certification that would enable Chick-fil-A® restaurants to host NRAEF apprentices.
Multiple Collaboration Opportunities are Possible with NRAEF:
• ProStart is a 2-year culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students, which exposes them to opportunities and pathways in the restaurant industry, culinary and restaurant management basics and best practices. Students have the opportunity to graduate with a Certificate of Achievement, which can translate into college credit.
• Youth Registered Apprenticeships offer hands-on mentoring and work experience to 17 to 24-year-olds who already work in or are entering the food service industry as an apprentice and want to advance to line cook, kitchen manager or restaurant manager positions. When participants complete the competency-based apprenticeship training and coursework, they receive a U.S. Department of Labor certificate of completion for their training focus.
• Restaurant Ready helps individuals gain the basic job and life skills necessary to achieve entry-level success in a restaurant. Participants include military veterans moving into civilian life, young adults just starting their careers and promising candidates from at-risk communities who want a fresh start.
Partnerships in Action
In Arkansas, multiple Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators are in the process of forming a statewide ProStart program with local public schools. They may host field trips, lead mentoring sessions and even provide internships to qualified teens.
In addition, 13 Operators in Colorado, Delaware and Maryland are involved with Youth Registered Apprenticeships. Historically, NRAEF outcomes demonstrate these apprentices make great employees, representing an 80% retention rate over other workers.
So far, local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators in Delaware have hired Restaurant Ready graduates, with others in Colorado open to hiring more in the coming months. The collaboration between Chick-fil-A and the NRAEF exemplifies the commitment local Owner-Operators make to invest in their Team Members and others in their communities. Creating opportunities for advancement is a fundamental way Chick-fil-A restaurants support and strengthen the communities they serve.
To learn more about how Chick-fil-A restaurants are providing opportunities for advancement to Team Members and beyond, visit https://www.chick-fil-a.com/corporate-social-responsibility.
