Sharing a vision to develop out-of-school youth as skilled cooks in foodservice establishments, Chowking, ERDA Tech Foundation and Jollibee Foundation launched in 2009 the Chowking Cook Certification Program.

Focus on Training the School Faculty

ERDA Tech Foundation is an educational training institution engaged in empowering socially disadvantaged youth through technical and vocational training. Through its Palitan ng Husay at Sanayan (PALIHAN) program, ERDA Tech provides out-of-school youth with the opportunity to undergo a short-term non-formal training program that will equip them with technical skills as well as basic life skills and desirable attitudes and values, so that they can be gainfully employed and become productive members of society.

To support the development of ERDA Tech’s Food Technology program, Chowking trained its faculty members in Oriental Cuisine through both classroom and on-the-job training. Chowking also enhanced ERDA’s kitchen facilities with range equipment and tools.

In May 2009, ERDA faculty members completed the training program including a workshop on honing presentation skills to enhance their teaching skills.

The faculty applied what they learned to the Food Technology course of ERDA High School. They also started the training of young people enrolled in the school’s three-month course in July. Utilizing a dual training approach, the faculty provided classroom inputs and supervised the students’ six-month paid in-store training in Chowking stores after the classroom training.