CARES Act funding for restaurant course

Online HR management course offered free for Delaware restaurant professionals

By Nora Zelluk

The University of Delaware’s course focused on restaurant human resources management is again being offered free for Delaware residents. The eight-week HR Competencies for Restaurant Managers online course starts August 3.

Last spring, the program enrolled 74 Delaware participants at no cost, representing approximately 40 restaurants or hospitality organizations as well as unemployed or self-employed professionals.

This fall, the course is open for 30 Delaware residents thanks to Delaware’s Rapid Workforce Training and Redeployment Training Initiative to assist Delaware workers who have lost jobs and income due to the COVID-19 crisis, underwritten by federal CARES Act funding.

Offered in partnership with the Delaware Restaurant Association (DRA) and UD’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies (UD PCS), the program is led by UD’s Ali A. Poorani, associate professor and director of Hospitality Associates for Research and Training (HART) in UD’s Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.

Delaware’s restaurant industry continues to feel significant impacts from COVID-19,

said Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association.

This program offers valuable training that can help get people back to work, with industry-recognized credentials and higher earning potential.

Drawing from the expertise of both industry professionals and research faculty for a valuable mix of theory and practice, the course provides restaurant professionals with the knowledge and skills to address the increasingly complex human resource challenges facing restaurants today.

Pandemic-related topics are a critical and timely addition to the program,

said Poorani. Highlighted topics include managing team members affected by the pandemic, factors impacting employees and employers facing disruption, the critical role played by managers during and after transition and transformation, and incorporating COVID–19 related policies and procedures into an employee handbook.

For program details or to register, visit pcs.udel.edu/restaurant-hr.