USA | High school students will gain a hands-on, immersive taste of the industry through the National Restaurant Association's JumpStart program.
As part of its commitment to empower the restaurant and foodservice leaders of the future, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation will bring a group of high school students from the W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, to Chicago for an immersive, industry-focused learning experience during the National Restaurant Association Show, part of its first-ever JumpStart initiative.
JumpStart, will give students a front-row look at the trends and people shaping the restaurant and foodservice industry, showcasing the limitless opportunities that are available in the sector that currently employs more than 15.7 million Americans. Imagined and brought to life by former National Restaurant Association Chair Scott Redler, co-founder of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, JumpStart was created to augment the ProStart classroom experience through real-world interaction with the restaurant industry and its leaders.
The Foundation created the program in the fall of 2024, and students from W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Centre were selected for the Foundation's inaugural JumpStart grant. As part of the application process, students were asked to explain how the JumpStart experience would benefit their restaurant career aspirations, while educators explained how the trip would improve their ProStart classroom experience.
"JumpStart is a unique way to cultivate and invest in the next generation of restaurant industry talent, a mission that is a cornerstone of the Foundation's work," said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
"I'm excited to witness the ways this immersive experience sparks imagination and wonder in these students around the excitement in our industry, along with the knowledge that they can be part of it."
ProStart, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's nationwide career and technical education program, has equipped more than one million high school students with career-ready culinary and restaurant management skills. The program is designed to equip students with restaurant-specific certifications and competencies, over 400 hours of practical work experience, and access to restaurant and hospitality apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities.
Students complete the ProStart program ready to join a professional kitchen or advance to higher education. Today, the program reaches 222,000 students at 2,200 schools.
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