There are things that can be taught in a classroom.
There are things that can be taught through demonstration.
And then there are things that can only truly be understood through experience.
Industry placement is where many of those lessons begin.
More than food
For many students, their first industry placement is a significant personal transition. It may mean their first long shift away from the familiarity of home. It may mean working while friends are relaxing or celebrating. For some, it may even mean spending their first Christmas away from loved ones.
Hospitality does not always operate according to the calendar of the people being served. Some of the busiest working days happen while everyone else is celebrating.
It can be difficult.
But it is also part of understanding the industry a young chef has chosen to enter.
Becoming part of a brigade
There is something significant about sharing demanding hours with a kitchen brigade.
The early mornings. The long shifts. The pressure of service. The exhaustion. The shared meals. The quiet conversations at the end of a demanding day.
These experiences create bonds that are difficult to replicate elsewhere.
Students begin to understand that hospitality is not simply about food.
Hospitality is about people — the people you serve and the people standing beside you while you do it.
They learn that their actions affect everyone around them. They learn to communicate, adapt, take responsibility and contribute to something larger than themselves.
Resilience cannot simply be taught
Resilience is not developed by telling someone to be resilient. Resilience develops when a person faces something difficult and discovers that they can get through it.
A long shift, a mistake, a demanding service, a difficult day, a task that has to be done again or a moment when they are tired but the work still needs to be completed.
These experiences gradually build independence and resilience, and often, they reveal something to the student about themselves:
Perhaps they are more capable than they thought.
Perhaps they discover that they enjoy the pressure of service.
Perhaps they realise that they need to work on their communication.
All of these are valuable outcomes of an industry placement.
The people beside you
A young chef’s professional character is shaped not only by what they learn, but by the people they work alongside.
They observe how experienced chefs treat one another. They experience what it means to rely on a team. They discover the importance of being someone others can depend on.
These are lessons that follow them long after their placement ends. Because eventually, technical skills become expected.
Character is what determines the kind of colleague you become.
And that is why industry placement is such an important part of an ICA education.
Next in the Mentorship Matters series: More Than an Industry Partner
An industry partner gives an ICA student more than a place to train — they become part of the student’s education, professional development and, often, personal growth. In our final article, we look at why these partnerships matter so deeply, and why the people who invest their time, knowledge and experience in our students are helping shape the future of our industry.
