Colin Chan proudly beams as he points to the chef’s uniform he just received at his graduation today. 

When the 55-year-old was serving nine months for working as a pimp, he found out about HCSA Highpoint, a halfway house for male ex-offenders, through the prison’s Sunday services.

There, the team from the non-profit told him about a new culinary programme they were starting in 2018.

He had worked in a hotel kitchen before, but had never been properly trained. The initiative piqued his interest and Chan decided to sign up. 

Now, the qualified cook will be heading to Marina Mandarin Singapore hotel as a junior chef for two months, before returning to work as an assistant to his former teachers.

Completing the course and getting a job placement in an industry he was always drawn to, caused Chan to realise that God had a plan for him, he said. 

“I feel proud that I can go back to work, and prove to society that people can change.” 

Chan is part of the inaugural batch of five graduates at HCSA Community Services’s HCSA Academy Culinary Training Centre, located at the organisation’s headquarters in Geylang. 

The new institute, which officially opened on Tuesday, May 4, at a cost of S$750,000, aims to equip ex-offenders with professional cooking skills in order to find a job in the F&B sector.

It will offer a six-week course based on the Food Services skills framework by SkillsFuture Singapore, and facilitate job placements with establishments such as Marina Mandarin Singapore and Astons after the course.

Graduates will receive a Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) accredited Higher Certificate in Food Services (Culinary Arts). A scholarship fund has also be set up to help needy students who cannot afford the fees. 

There will be up to eight intakes in a year, with a maximum of 16 people per batch. Classes will be open to beneficiaries from other voluntary organisations and halfway houses, although HCSA’s will have priority. 

The culinary academy’s graduates making Vietnamese spring rolls for the official opening of the school. Photo by Rachel Phua.

Ms Dominique Choy, the executive board member and chief executive officer of HCSA Community Services, said that she hopes the academy will give trainees a “rice-bowl – a means to become employable and the ability to support themselves and their families”.

The idea to start the Academy came to Choy two years ago when she first joined HCSA and saw a defunct kitchen at one of its vacant premises.

Her experience in the hospitality industry gave her insight into the issue of manpower shortage gripping the local F&B sector. 

“Industry relevant skills training is the answer. But not just any skills training, it has to be training that is nationally certified.”

She also noted the scriptural verse HCSA is based on. 

“In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord promises a hope and a future for us. To envision a future and a hope for an ex-offender, I know they will need something that will set them apart, to level the playing field.”

According to a press release, HCSA said that the participants will be able to develop their skills in an actual kitchen environment, with classes tailored for adult learners.

Students will also be taught via online courses and augmented reality (AR) devices as part of the charity’s steps to go “smart”.

HCSA is a non-profit with the purpose of helping vulnerable individuals in Singapore, including former drug addicts, abused teenage girls and single parents.