Tarrant County College students from all campuses can benefit this week from one of the College’s newest partnerships when the Southeast Campus hosts its first Delaware North Day, exposing students to numerous job opportunities at Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Delaware North Day will be held Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Main Commons near the Ballroom on the campus at 2100 Southeast Parkway in Arlington. Appetizers will be served.
The job fair will be particularly useful to culinary arts or hospitality management students in their quest to earn their degrees as employment may fulfill their practicum requirements in general hospitality administration management or culinary arts chef training. Employment outlook for chefs and head cooks is projected to grow 10 percent through 2026, faster than the average for all occupations, according the U.S. Department of Labor.
Last spring, two TCC students distinguished themselves as Delaware North employees when they were recognized for top performance within a few months of employment.
Joan Bowman, hospitality management major, and Aaron McManus, culinary arts major, were named Star of the Month honorees for April and May, respectively. Bowman and McManus were among the first Southeast students who participated in the first phase of the partnership in the spring.
In addition to a plaque, certificate and recognition in the unit’s monthly newsletter, they earned an additional day of pay. They also are in the running for Star of the Year and will be invited to a VIP Dinner at the Employee Appreciation Party at the end of the season.
“We have accomplished some great things so far with our short-term goals of letting students work big events and also be part of our hiring process,” said Casey Rapp, general manager for Delaware North. “Both the students only working one day and the students working for us all year have been a pleasure to work with.
“The students from Allen’s (Powell) class have been amazing. He brought them out opening day and we were blessed to have them. We hope to continue to use them and other students to fill our staffing needs.”
Rapp said Delaware North was interested in partnering with TCC to help meet its employment needs in the growing entertainment district in Arlington. He added that opportunities could also extend to any of its operations. Delaware North manages and provides food and beverage concessions, premium dining, entertainment, lodging and retail at large venues and special places, including sports stadiums such as Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Southeast President Bill Coppola lauded the potential of the new collaboration.
“This partnership provides a huge opportunity for our students as we continue to pave pathways for our students to enter top careers. There will be a whole number of jobs in the future that do not currently exist,” Coppola said. “We want to be in a position to determine what training will be needed for fields such as this one in thefuture, so we can help develop it and recruit students to fill those future jobs.”