Members and guests at four of Vero’s most prestigious clubs – John’s Island Club, Quail Valley Golf Club, Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club and The Moorings Yacht and Country Club – will see a few fresh new faces in their club dining rooms this fall – 12 eager student interns will soon be working at the clubs as enrollees in a new Indian River State College Introduction to Hospitality pilot program.
The idea was conceptualized after John’s Island Club’s Assistant General Manager David Colclough attended a forum this spring at the Quail Valley River Club on ways to increase job opportunities in Indian River County.
Recognizing that hospitality is one of the largest industries in Indian River County, Colclough posed a question about ways to attract local people. “We hire people from all over the country, some internationally, but because we’re so seasonal we just can’t find enough here locally,” Colclough explains. “All of our clubs have very diverse offerings as far as hospitality – casual dining, formal dining, large banquets, small private dinners, meetings – there’s a lot going on in hospitality.”
Indian River State College President Ed Massey connected Colclough with IRSC Provost Casey Lunceford in April and the two began working on the idea. After Colclough approached the other club managers, they quickly jumped on board.
“We’re trying to hire local people here. That’s really the backbone behind this. Casey thought it would be good to create an education program around it,” says Colclough, adding that one of the enrolled students is already an employee at John’s Island. “That’s what this is for. We have people here who are working full time and they’re also going to school.”
After working out curriculum details in May and June, student recruitment began in July. Students earn a state certificate and college credit for the course, which is administered out of IRSC’s Restaurant Management Degree program.
“Because it’s a pilot, we wanted to limit it this year. We were looking for 16 students who might be interested; we ended up with 12,” says Lunceford. “We had more interest, but they just couldn’t work it out with their schedules. We’re excited about this group because they’re going to give us plenty of feedback, and we’re going to tweak it and make adjustments. I’ve had some other phone calls since we got this going. I’ve had a couple of clubs and a couple of hotels that have heard about this and made some inquiries about participating next year. They’re excited about it, too, so we see this growing.”
In August, the students began taking hospitality-related academic classes, which will run through mid-October. Then they head to the clubs for their internships, which run through April. During that time they will also take a weekly academic class to talk about the experience.
“Meantime they’re full-time employees at the clubs during season,” says Lunceford. “Once they start working, they’ll get paid by the clubs, and they’ll be getting college credit.”
“They can use this as a stepping stone. Prospective employers will see that they’ve had an internship in one of these four clubs, which brings value to the students’ resume,” says Colclough. “I know that would make me more interested in hiring. Hands-on experience in this business is critical.”
According to Bill Solomon, who directs the Restaurant Management program, classes have included information on the various types of hospitality organizations, and general background information to get them comfortable with the duties they’ll be performing – from the all-important guest relations and proper service of meals, to opening and pouring bottles of wine.
“They [club managers] shared their training manuals so that the students can go in and know all those things,” Solomon adds.
The four club managers met at the Richardson Center Monday to interview the students and determine the best fit, taking multiple factors, including transportation, into consideration. Everyone involved sees the relationship as a positive one.
“The students walk away with great experience and the clubs will benefit from their service,” says Colclough. “I know it’s going to grow; it’s going to be different every year. We want to grow the program which is going to benefit the community.”
“The opportunity they have to walk into one of these prestigious clubs, any of the four that we’re working with, you can’t match that anywhere,” stresses Solomon. “When you can take what we teach them here with the academics, go into the club and put it to use and make a good salary, it’s win-win.”
Lunceford says that even club members will benefit, noting, “Several of the club managers have said that having a local student work there will be beneficial. A lot of their seasonal folks will enjoy that, talking to local kids about things they do in the community.”
One of the students is Katheryn Russo, a 2014 Sebastian River High School graduate who says, “It really caught my interest when I spoke with Mr. Lunceford about how many doors it could open for a career later on. I enjoy it a lot and I do want to see where it leads. I’m a people person, so l love interacting with the guests, learning their names and getting that one-on-one.”
“Bill [Solomon] and his staff do a fabulous job. It’s just a really good opportunity for our students, particularly to make some good salaries and build their resumes. Any time you can apply what you learn, that’s great.”
