The KOTO training program
Every six months KOTO takes about 25 disadvantaged youth off the streets or from extremely difficult life circumstances to undertake an 18-month intensive life skills, English language and hospitality training program. KOTO currently has up to 70 trainees in its program.
KOTO trainees are all aged between 16 and 22 and are selected for the program based on their life situation. They must also have the capacity to undertake training and work in the hospitality industry, and be committed to KOTO's philosophy.
After being accepted into KOTO, trainees are given vaccinations and health checks, they are provided with uniforms, laundry, accommodation in group houses, lunch every day and ongoing health care. The trainees are paid an allowance, which enables them to focus on their studies, save a little for the future and provide some financial support to their families.
KOTO trainees study either Front-of-House service or Commercial Cookery (Western and Asian-food preparation and pastry cooking) following a curriculum accredited by an Australian training school, Box Hill TAFE. This means that when the KOTO trainees graduate they receive an internationally recognised qualification.
KOTO trainees also complete an English language course that is specifically designed for people working in the hospitality industry.
Theory lessons take place at the KOTO training centre, which is equipped with classrooms and a commercial training kitchen. In 2003, KOTO received a grant from UNESCO to build a resource centre, which the trainees use for self-directed study, reading and computing.
Much of the trainees' practical experience is gained through working at the KOTO restaurant. Towards the end of the KOTO program, each trainee also takes part in a one-month work experience placement at a hotel or restaurant in Hanoi.
"It was very hard for me when I first started being a trainer because I had never done anything like this before. But now everything is OK. The trainees like the practical training most and I love working in the kitchen and sharing my experience with them all."
Ms Nguyen Thuy Ha
Chef Trainer Assistant and KOTO Class One graduate