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Drawn to the heat of the kitchen
After finishing school Blake Royle tried his hand at a few different jobs, but a love of cooking and fond memories of working in hospitality as a teenager has lured him back into the kitchen to pursue a career as a chef.
Now Blake is 26 years old and well on the way to living his dream after accessing JobTrainer funding to study a Certificate II in Kitchen Operations (SIT20416).
“When I was in school I was doing a school-based traineeship and worked in various places in Brisbane, then other things came up but now I'm really enjoying getting back into the hospitality industry, mainly in the back-of-house kitchens and stuff,” Blake said.
“I’ve previously completed a certificate in baking and the bar and barista course with TAFE Queensland so it was an easy decision to study with TAFE again.”
As the state’s leading provider of vocational training and education, TAFE Queensland is proud to be able to offer students the skills and opportunities they need for the jobs of the future.
“I've loved learning new things that I didn't really know about, like how to sous the different types of meats and fish and everything — also getting into the aspect of getting into the service environment,” Blake said.
“'I’ve definitely learned a lot of more complicated knife skills. Like to fine-dice your Julienne and all that. I've also learned how to cook dishes I've never really cooked before, like doing like a confit of duck. Also, the main thing I've learned is how to fully de-bone a chicken.”
Blake is enrolled at TAFE Queensland’s Ipswich campus and thrives on the opportunity to train in industry-standard facilities.
"If you love cooking then it's a great place to come and learn and possibly have yourself a future in the hospitality industry. Whether it's front of house doing coffees and bar, or whether it's back of house doing cooking and you're serving food to customers — you will learn it all," he said.
“It's just such a massive kitchen because basically you've got three sections in the kitchen and you've got your baker's ovens and you've got just so many things you can learn and cook with.”
Blake was able to kick start his career by accessing JobTrainer funding which enables eligible Queenslanders to complete selected qualifications for free or at low cost.
The program targets growth areas and those that have been hit hardest by the pandemic by helping to fill existing skills needs or assisting in reskilling.