Durham College (DC) recently welcomed representatives from the Centro Experimental de Formación Profesional (CEFOP), a technical and vocational college in Trujillo, Peru, completing a second training mission to share best practices between both institutions.

Four management-level colleagues from CEFOP spent two weeks at DC learning about institutional procedures: recruitment of vulnerable youth, admissions, team work, performance evaluation and leadership training, while also exploring the strategies used to administer and run the Centre for Food’s (CFF) culinary programs and green-certified teaching restaurant Bistro ’67, all of which are based on the field-to-fork philosophy.

This latest mission is the second between both organizations, who are working together to examine practices that will help them excel at home and abroad. The first visit saw representatives from DC travel to Peru in July 2015 after the college was awarded a contract from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). With the goal of partnering with CEFOP, DC is sharing its experience and expertise in the areas of culinary arts and gastronomy, while also helping to update and enhance their curriculum, build industry linkages and assist CEFOP in providing its students with the skills they need to further promote and enhance the world-renowned and growing reputation of Peruvian cuisine.

“Our partnership with CEFOP not only gives us a chance to share our expertise but stands to have a great impact on the college, its students and the wider community,” said Mark Herringer, executive director, International Education. “It is also a great example of post-secondary institutions from across the globe working together to build expertise and improve the student experience.”

Driven by Katie Boone, international project manager with the college’s International Office, and David Hawey, chair of the CFF, the DC team is looking at options for adapting its field-to-fork philosophy for CEFOP’s urban center, reinforcing industry engagement strategies, highlighting the importance of inclusive management and student-centered teaching strategies and facilitating improvements to revenue generation activities of CEFOP.

The project is ongoing until March 2017 with several more visits planned between both institutions.

For more information about DC’s CFF please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/academic-schools/centre-for-food.