Success story
Cool-headed catering manager Bridgit-Lee Morgan loves the fast-paced nature of her job, but not as much as she loves having a strong team around her. When the pressure’s on, she knows she can always turn to her work whānau for support.
A career in hospitality and culinary
Enjoy working with people and helping others? Top-notch customer service is important in the hospitality and culinary industry, so great communication and people skills are key.
Hospitality and Culinary is a large industry with a lot of different roles, including working in hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés.
“I’m one of seven siblings and I was always the family cook. Every time we had get-togethers I’d try to make fancy dinners out of corned beef, chicken backs, chop suey and taro!” Fou Fale, Certificate in Cookery
A career in hospitality and culinary might mean working in these jobs:
Chef or cook
Baker
Catering manager
Café worker
Waiter or waitress
Barista
Hotel worker or manager
Holiday park manager
How do I train?
Trades training is flexible. You can:
- Do a pre-trades programme, then get a job and apprenticeship
- Get an apprenticeship straight away and study while you work
Many people start with a pre-trades programme at a training institution. This will give you the hands-on experience and theory you need to prepare you for work. If you qualify for one of our scholarships, we’ll give you financial help and support you to train – and we’ll even help you find work when you finish.
If you already have experience in the trades or are ready for working life and happy to study while you work, you might look at going straight into an apprenticeship. We can help you make that decision, and we might even know someone who needs an apprentice like you.
How do I fund my training?
There are a few ways to get your fees paid – but they’re not all the same.
Only available to Māori and Pasifika learners, the MPTT scholarship doesn’t just cover your course fees, it gives you the most well-rounded support to get a job in the trades.
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Find a course
You can apply for the MPTT scholarship programme now, but make sure you enrol in your chosen course as well. Here’s what you need to do:
- Check out the courses for hospitality below, and follow the links to find out more. Once you’ve chosen your course, you’ll need to apply for it through the course provider (e.g. Kiwa, MIT or NZMA).
- Apply for your MPTT scholarship and, if you qualify, we’ll let your chosen course provider know you’ve been awarded an MPTT scholarship to get financial help and other support.
Find out which hospitality course is right for you using the links below.
There are no courses available in Hospitality and Culinary in 2026.
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Find an apprenticeship
Apprenticeships are managed by Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), who make sure you get the training you need to earn your qualification. The ITO for hospitality and culinary is ServiceIQ. To find out more about getting an apprenticeship you can contact Caro Anderson at Caro.anderson@serviceiq.org.nz