Abel Gutierrez has been employed in the food industry for ten years, but it was more than his experience that led him to his current job.
Hired by Hilton Hotels in January 2009 as a Banquet Cook, Gutierrez estimates he was in a pool of more than 20,000 applicants. In order to compete, Gutierrez made the decision to increase education and job training skills by completing a Culinary Arts certificate program with Continuing Education.
The California Employment Development Department projects a 23.5 percent increase in the number of food preparation workers by 2016, which calculates to 6,440 new jobs annually. A record number of people could be applying for these jobs.
Continuing Education is unique to many traditional college programs because it can respond immediately to demands for job growth within identified industries, and the Culinary Arts program is a good example.
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At age 75, Maria Llamado is still learning. She suffered a stroke ten years ago, which paralyzed the entire left side of her body, but has since recovered and walks an hour everyday to attend class at Continuing Education's Centre City Campus. "It takes me about 2,000 steps," she says. "I count the steps to keep my memory sharp."
Llamado is walking proof that you are never too old for education. "My grandkids were tinkering around with the computer and e-mail and I didn't want to be left behind," she said. After enrolling in computer keyboard classes, Llamado was ambitious enough to complete a Front Desk/Office Assistant Certificate Program, and will participated in Continuing Education's Commencement ceremony in 2010 as the oldest graduate.
Llamado also takes classes at City College and is in the process of completing an AA Degree in Business and Administration.