The students take one less subject and instead, we take them out of school for vocational experiences. One of these experiences has been a Barista course at MIT.
16 students participated in a two-day course. They first learnt how to make ristrettos, espressos, long blacks and double shot coffees. On the second day they progressed to lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites.
This course is designed to teach the students a new skill and could also support them going into holiday jobs or hospitality if they wish. It also means they can progress to the more advanced course where they develop their coffee making skills and attain Level 3 NCEA credits.
In addition, learning the different parts of a coffee machine, keeping the area clean and tidy and properly cleaning the machine were all aspects of the course, along with learning some basic customer service skills.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable two days, and we are already looking forward to the next outing.
