The new Global Eats food truck is providing two groups of 12 refugees with training, mentorship and work experience – but, it goes much further than that.
The Global Eats food truck is a partnership with Academy Canada and the Restaurant Association of NL, and the Association for New Canadians. On Thursday, the federal government announced $570,000 in funding for the food service training program.
President of the Association for New Canadians, Sean Fitzgerald says refugees will get the opportunity to learn to speak English fluently, and develop new skills that can be transferred into other jobs. He says they will train more and more refugees each year, and expect it will have a domino effect.
Fitzgerald says it’s not just one person, but also their families. He says the program gives people an opportunity to be contributing members of the local community.
Sarah Thompson is a Project Manager with the Global Eats Food Truck. She says it’s incredible how far participants have come in the three short months the program has been in operation.
Thompson says they are excited to be able to offer and share their own cultural foods. She can already see how much their confidence has grown and their English language skills have improved – and they’re only just beginning.
Mohammad Al Farah, who works with the Global Eats food truck says the program has given him much more experience when it comes to the service industry, but also with learning English.
The food truck has foods from six different countries, something Al Farah says has helped him learn different cultures and foods.
He says it’s exciting to see countries and refugees coming together.