The restrictive measures adopted by the government for schools, universities and technical institutes do not block the Italians' spirit of initiative. In Milan the Congusto Gourmet Institute, a training body recognized by the Lombardy Region relies on technology to launch a series of fundamental initiatives for the training of students in record time through the digital teaching. A course with blended training, i.e. mixed on site and remotely, had already been implemented in recent days. Now, in light of new developments the training becomes e-learning – lessons held in FAD mode, an acronym for “distance learning” – to allow students to face all the theoretical lessons, which in training a future cook they constitute the framework necessary to face the profession in the best possible way.
Thanks to e-learning, topics such as haccp standards, food theory and much more can be dealt with, as well as orientation interviews with tutors and teachers. Congusto supports the online lessons (which take place on the WeSchool platform, require student registration and therefore have full educational value) also insights and extra content conveyed through podcasts, as well as chats on the main messaging systems to help the kids and answer their questions, clarify their doubts and even take intermediate tests remotely.
“We have decided to transform a problem into an opportunity – explains Federico Lorefice, founder and director of Congusto Gourmet Institute – and respond to the emergency with all possible efforts to put students at ease. The online lessons, which are provided through the platform already used by the school and the students for the exchange of documents in digital format, are the more theoretical ones because we must not forget that in the profession of chef theory has a very important value and, in fact , we dedicate lessons of 3 or 4 hours each to these aspects, during which the teacher is connected in real time and actively interacts with the students".
Congusto's goal is to transform an emergency situation into an advanced teaching model, which can also be replicated in the future, by strengthening the use of very useful tools such as remote lessons, podcasts, group chats and those with individual users, as well as to everything that can guarantee students a prompt and professional response to their needs. “Our boys and girls have invested in us to be ready to face the future and, for our part, we want to respond promptly, so that they can quickly complete the course in the classroom as soon as it is possible to resume frontal lessons, to allow them to enter the labor market in the most appropriate times and ways. Of course, with e-learning the "experience" of the class is lost, at least temporarily, but technology still allows us to maintain daily and direct contact with the students, which is essential for good training", Lorefice points out.
Online lessons will start on Tuesday 10 March. The first topics addressed will be: Food Cost, Brand Reputation, Orientation, Intolerances and diets. Each topic will be treated by a specialized teacher, already part of the Institute's teaching staff.
