The ICE Difference: Real-World Externships

ohoadmin — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 20:57:34 +0000

The ICE Difference: Real-World Externships ohoadmin Thu, 02/20/2014 - 15:57 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1440/public/content/blog-article/header-image/The%20ICE%20Difference-%20Real-World%20Externships_1400x680.jpg.webp?itok=j9giVFWv February 20, 2014

By Jessie Craig

You will often hear our Career Services Advisors speaking with students about the importance of the externship portion of our Culinary, Pastry & Baking Arts and Hospitality Management diploma programs. The externship experience is one of the key elements that sets our school apart, as we are able to guide students into the kitchens and offices of some of New York City’s and America’s top restaurants, hotels, pastry shops and media outlets.

In 2013 alone, the school’s Career Services Department placed 499 students on externship in 292 establishments across the country. This crucial real-world experience is the best way to jump-start our graduates' careers, providing a valuable network of industry contacts and the likelihood of being hired out of an externship for their first job.

Throughout each diploma program, ICE's Career Services Advisors meet with students individually to discuss their personal interests and goals within the food and hospitality industry. These meetings allow us to assist each student in identifying externship sites where they can "trail" (or interview), to gain additional insight into the types of business where they might like to work.

Students are encouraged to complete trails at several sites before making their final commitment to an externship, so as to find the best site to fit their interests and long-term goals. We pride ourselves on our long-standing relationships with leading chefs, media outlets and entrepreneurs in the industry, and we encourage students to use their externship as a “golden ticket opportunity," an opportunity to get their foot in the door with the top employers.

It is always a pleasure when we see a class of students taking full advantage of this exciting opportunity. One of our latest classes—who graduated from the Culinary Arts program on January 30^th —landed themselves in some of the most renowned kitchens in the city. What makes this class even more impressive is their dedication; many students worked around their full-time work schedules and evening culinary classes to schedule trails and secure an externship at a site they felt truly passionate about.

Three students will be joining the Jean-Georges group at restaurants JoJo and Spice Market, and two students will pursue catering at The Upper Crust and Union Square Events. Others will be completing their externships at renowned New York City restaurants Blue Hill, BLT Steak, Dovetail and Blue Smoke. One student, Lauren Weinstein, who hopes to pursue a career in restaurant event management, will be joining the kitchen at CraftBar after interviewing and discussing her goals with Craft Restaurant Group’s Director of Culinary Operations, Lauren Hirschberg. Ms. Wienstein explains, “Despite some panicked moments in the training process, I feel that I found the right fit.” We wish all of these students success in their externships and beyond!

While the list above is indeed impressive, it is representative of only a fraction of the wonderful sites we work with in our rewarding externship program. You can read more about ICE's externship program and the multitude of sites that we work with here.

Culinary Student Restaurants

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Business of Food

Opportunities Diversify at ICE's Career Fair

ohoadmin — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:00:47 +0000

Opportunities Diversify at ICE's Career Fair ohoadmin Tue, 10/22/2013 - 10:00 October 22, 2013

By Jessie Craig

This September, ICE hosted its bi-annual Career Fair and Networking Reception.

Over the years we’ve seen many changes in career trends here at ICE. With changes in the job market as a whole, and with the introduction of new programs at the school (Hospitality Management, Cake Decorating and Bread Baking) in addition to our long-established programs (Culinary, Pastry and Culinary Management), we find ourselves hosting students and alumni with a multitude of backgrounds and career goals.

We see alumni with extensive career histories seeking alternative careers within the industry that will allow them to merge their diverse talents and experiences, and seeking part-time work in addition to full-time kitchen careers; and current students find themselves focusing mainly on the curriculum’s Externship program, which they hope will launch their budding careers.

In response to these emerging trends, ICE has greatly expanded the scope of our Career Fair.

We host twice as many employers as we did a mere three years ago in 2010.

We encourage our exhibitors to come with an open mind so that they may find an alumnus who could fulfill a non-traditional role that they’ve had difficulty filling, or an eager current student with the potential to be molded into their future star employee.

We no longer invite just the big restaurant groups to join us, but also include hotels, consulting companies, caterers, online job resources, and networking groups.

Union Square Hospitality Group

As for our students and alumni, we encourage an attitude of preparedness and exploration.

The Career Services department hosted several “Career Fair Prep Sessions” leading up to the big day. Career Services Advisors held one-on-one meetings not only to refine resumes but also to discuss individual career goals and approach tactics. We want each and every attendee to understand that they are a unique individual, and feel prepared to go after their dream job in the industry by having the necessary information and tools to create a well-honed career pitch.

Craft Restaurant Group

On the day of the Career Fair, close to 150 students and alumni attended to meet with industry chefs and HR directors and explore current and future opportunities. Exhibitors represented all facets of the industry and included such recognizable names as Dinex Restaurant Group, Craft Restaurant Group, Union Square Hospitality Group, Spice Market, Momofuku, Abigail Kirsch, Club Med, Four Seasons New York, Harri.com and many more.

We excitedly continue to hear back from attendees who found an opportunity to trail or interview for a new opportunity, and from employers who were able to find a good fit for their company.

If you are one of our alumni, please join us for our next Career Fair and Networking Reception in the spring, and feel free to reach out to the Career Services Department for any current or future career guidance!

Culinary School Special Events

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Culinary Arts