NEW GENERATION

of the ACF

For the first time ever, ACF student membership is free to all junior and senior high school students attending ACFEF accredited programs. Program coordinators can sign up their students by providing us with just a few pieces of information. In addition, ACFEF-accredited post-secondary programs now have the option to provide ACF membership to their students at a reduced price.

WHO ARE THESE STUDENTS?

They care about the world and people around them. 60% of Generation Z (roughly 15-23 year olds) say they want their jobs to impact the world. And 26% of 16-19 year olds currently volunteer.

Source: Marketo, 2014

They want mentorship. Gen Z places a high value on mentorship. 33% rank it as the most important benefit an employer can offer, just a few percentage points behind health care.

Source: Door of Clubs, 2017

2,969

Current number of ACF Student Culinarian and Junior Culinarian members.

42,534

Number of students in ACFEF accredited secondary and post-secondary schools — in other words, the number of potential new members who will join our ranks thanks to this initiative.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Being a role model for professional values and standards.

Why are we doing this? Because we think it’s important. It’s important for young, aspiring chefs to have access to mentorship, education and job opportunities from professional chefs like yourself. It’s important that they see chefs don’t just cook. We give back to our communities. We compete. We support one another. And that starts with reaching out to young people and inviting them in. Perhaps they won’t be the only ones who learn a thing or two.

WHY DO WE NEED THEM?

“Protégés that receive career coaching and social support … are reportedly more likely to have high performance ratings, a higher salary and receive promotions. ... Organizations benefit as well, because protégés are more likely to be committed to their organization and to exhibit organizational citizenship behaviour.”

Source: The role of mentorship in protege performance, Nature, 2010

“Combining older and younger adults can also boost the cognitive performance of older adults, and foster prosocial behavior and a lack of egocentrism in younger adults. When older and younger people work together, fluency of thought for the older person can improve with only 30 minutes of interactions.”

Source: Harnessing the Power of a Multigenerational Workforce, SHRM, 2017

Mentorship and professional development are vital for students to stay on their career path. You can help them out by:

Welcoming local student members to your chapter meetings and support their growth & development through networking/collaboration.

Promoting the profession. Many secondary students still haven’t decided on a career path yet, but your influence can help them decide to pursue a careeer in the culinary field.