Hospitality business and culinary arts programs at Walters State Community College receive nearly $1 million grant from Tennessee Higher Education Commission

Walters State Community College’s hospitality business and culinary arts programs have received a $985,266 grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The funding comes from the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education, or GIVE, grant initiative. GIVE is funded by the Tennessee General Assembly.

The GIVE program strives toward the goal of connecting the needs of the local workforce to the education of the school partners to better facilitate employer-driven career pathways. 

The grant money will fund Walters State’s Student Hospitality Apprenticeship Experience which is an educational project that covers many topics with the goal of training more skilled employees for the local tourism industry. 

Dr. Tony Mikasa, president of Walters State Community College, was quoted on the grant award by the Greeneville Sun, saying, “This grant will enable us to expand training in two key areas of the tourism industry, hospitality business and culinary arts. With these funds, we plan to add new apprenticeship programs, increase dual enrollment classes, and develop creative ways to increase interest in these career fields. We are now in an even better position to meet the workforce needs of Sevier and surrounding counties.”

Walters State Community College offers associate degrees and technical certificates in the culinary arts and hospitality business. The Maples Institute for Culinary Arts was the first program in Tennessee to be accredited by the Culinary Arts Institute and is located on Walters State’s Sevier County Campus.

The Student Hospitality Apprenticeship Experience has four main components: Career Awareness, Career Pathways Expansion, Hospitality/Culinary Programming, and Culinary Bootcamp.

Career Awareness began its implementation in the spring with events that showed students the wide range of jobs they could pursue in hospitality business and culinary arts.

Career Pathways Expansion involves outreach to high school students, as Walters State Community College offers dual enrollment classes in hospitality business and culinary arts, as well as other programs. There are also a finite amount of pre-apprenticeships available for dual enrollment students.

Hospitality/Culinary Programming will expand the range of topics covered by the hospitality business and culinary arts programs. Walters State Community College will work together with high schools in Cocke, Sevier, and Jefferson counties to improve career awareness among the students there. There will also soon be a butchery and meat cutting certificate added to the Maples Institute of Culinary Arts, the first program of its kind in the state. There will also be a Mobile Culinary Arts Learning Lab with the goal of increasing career awareness, entrepreneurial focus, and to prepare students to enter the workforce.

Culinary Bootcamp is a three-day workshop for up to 25 high school instructors where guest chefs will teach various techniques. 

Walters State Community College’s Division of Workforce Training will use some of the grant money to expand current apprenticeship programs. The school has apprentice agreements between the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and area employers.

Walters State Community College offers many courses in addition to hospitality business and culinary arts including health programs, natural sciences, public safety, and more. Potential students interested in more information can learn more on the school’s website.