Did you know the Colorado Restaurant Association Education Foundation is one of the beneficiaries of Denver Food and Wine? The CRAEF is a non profit whose mission is to bridge the gap for the employment needs of the industry by fostering talented individuals who are passionate about pursuing meaningful foodservice and hospitality careers. One of their programs, Colorado ProStart, specifically focuses helping pave the career path for high school students.
Colorado ProStart is a nationally certified education program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation that is offered to high school juniors and seniors. Students who enter the program start on a 2-year foodservice and hospitality management curriculum, complete with classroom focused workshops, mentorships, paid internships, hands-on learning and real world experience.
The ProStart curriculum is currently being implemented in 29 high schools and to more than 850 students throughout Colorado. By bringing industry into the classroom, the program gives high school students a platform to discover new career opportunities by providing industry experience across a variety of mediums.
With the Prostart National Certificate of Achievement, students straight out of high school are ready to walk in to any restaurant and step into any role and with the scholarships that are available, students have the opportunity to chase after their dreams and build a career in the food service.
Across the country, 95,000 passionate students are diving into the ProStart program and for 15 years, ProStart has been providing high school students with the training they need to be successful. The CRAEF has made this success possible for Colorado high school students, giving them the opportunity to be leaders in the industry.
