Culinary professionals working for EuroSkills

When it comes to pampering a restaurant’s diners with culinary delights and outstanding service, the following workshop managers are true professionals: Peter Rieberer and Robert Lang, both workshop managers for the Cooking skill and Isabella Huber, one of the workshop managers in Restaurant Service.

Workshop manager Robert Lang has trained countless apprentice chefs in over 13 years at the tourism school in Bad Gleichenberg. He worked in the hotel and catering industry himself for many years – including in hotels outside Austria, for example in Switzerland. Robert first came into contact with the Skills movement in 2011. “In 2011, I visited a former apprentice of mine who was competing at WorldSkills. That was the first time I attended a live competition, and I was hooked immediately,” he says. This is why Robert has been a workshop manager from the very beginning and, with his extensive knowledge, now plays a role in passing on his experience to young people: “I find it motivating to see the enthusiastic approach of young people to the competitions and how these competitions bring together people from many different cultures and nationalities.” He sees EuroSkills as a great opportunity to show young people what each of the various skills and trades is really about and to let them see that there is often more far more to it than meets the eye.

f.l.t.r. above: Peter Rieberer (Cooking), Robert Lang (Cooking), Isabella Huber (Restaurant Service). F.l.t.r. below: Harald Herbst (Sector Manager), Floarea Turcin (Hotel Receptionist), Kurt Heinz Singer (Bakery), Brigitte Horn (Restaurant Service), Martin Grogger (Hairdressing).

Another chef with several years of international experience is Peter Rieberer, one of our workshop managers. He teaches all subjects from cooking to menu planning at the tourism school in Bad Gleichenberg. “I worked as a chef for several years, including on cruise ships, and I was awarded two Gault Millau hats.” As well as this, he coached the Styrian team for the national apprenticeship competitions in cooking and helped to set up and organise a creative cooking competition for young Styrian chefs. This event gave him the opportunity to gain experience in organising competitions, in sponsorship and in many other fields He is therefore eminently qualified to fill the role of workshop manager. “I really love everything related to cooking and everything that helps to promote working in this field,” says the passionate chef. “For me, EuroSkills is a fantastic project because you can pass on your knowledge to the young people and motivate them to do their best. In general I also find it fascinating to come into contact with so many different people, and for me it is simply the experience of a lifetime.”

Isabella Huber is a true professional when it comes to taking care of her restaurant diners’ well-being. As the project manager of an educational programme (“talent kitchen”) aimed at integrating people from all cultures into the Austrian job market, high-quality training is a matter close to her heart. This makes Isabelle Huber perfect to act as a workshop manager in Restaurant Service. “The restaurant trade does not always enjoy a good reputation, but a project such as EuroSkills helps to show young people that an apprenticeship can serve as the first step towards even an international career, and this is especially true of the restaurant trade.” As a jury member at Austrian Skills as well as a trainer and chief examiner for final apprenticeship examinations, she has been concerned with young people for a long time. “It is incredibly important to teach young people a skill or trade from the ground up,” she said. “This is something that works particularly well in Austria, with its dual educational model. I am also extremely committed to furthering the cause of dual education, especially in the restaurant trade.”