Louisiana Restaurant Association
Education Foundation
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There are approximately 10,700 food and beverage
establishments in Louisiana
The foodservice industry is the state’s largest private
retail employer, providing 175,000 jobs to Louisiana
residents
This represents 10.4% of total private employment in
the state
In 2010, restaurants in LA are expected to have an
economic impact of $4.86 billion
By 2020, employment in the foodservice industry is
expected to reach 195,200 jobs, a projected growth of
20,000 jobs
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Created by the National Restaurant Association
Education Foundation to meet demand for managerial
or supervisory candidates
Managed and funded by the Louisiana Restaurant
Association Education Foundation since 1999 when
adopted in Louisiana
Two-year foodservice management curriculum for
juniors and seniors
Designed to deliver students to:
◦ Post-secondary culinary/hospitality programs
◦ Directly to employment
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49 LRAEF Certified ProStart® programs
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838 students enrolled in ProStart® I
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346 students enrolled in ProStart® II
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1,184 total student enrollment
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Endorsed and sponsored by the NRAEF and LRAEF
Louisiana industry-based certification
Career/Technical Endorsement on high school
diploma
Industry recognition for ProStart® students and
educators
Link to post-secondary education
◦ Scholarships for eligible ProStart® National Certification
recipients
◦ Articulation agreements with colleges and universities
◦ Dual enrollment with the LA Technical College system
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Professional development opportunities for
ProStart® educators
◦ LRAEF Summer and Winter Training
◦ NRAEF Summer Institutes
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Student Activities and Networking Opportunities
◦ School-based enterprises
◦ Community service
◦ LRAEF and National ProStart® Student Competition
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Provides a strong foundation for the foodservice
industry
Students are more employable with greater
opportunities
Post-secondary schools recruit ProStart® certified
graduates
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School-based learning
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Strategic business management and marketing
Food preparation and culinary techniques
Food safety and sanitation
Nutrition
Inventory and cost control
Customer service
Workforce readiness
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Work-based learning
◦ Paid internships in all types of foodservice industry settings
◦ School-based enterprises
◦ Skill competencies
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Program must be certified by the LRAEF
Must teach ProStart® Level I & II
Student must be at least 16 years old with a minimum
2.0 GPA
ProStart® exams required to be part of student’s final
grade
Commercial kitchen equipment required
Teacher must:
◦ Maintain 50% ProStart® certification rate
◦ Have ServSafe Certification
◦ Attend LRAEF professional development
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Complete entire course of study
Successfully pass Level 1 & 2 exams with a score of
70% or higher
400-hour work internship (combination of volunteer
and paid work experience)
Must complete a minimum of 50 out of the 72
competencies or 70% listed on the Student Work
Experience Checklist
◦ Job-Related, Observable Skills
◦ Employability Skills
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ProStart® can be taken by students in Core, Core 4, or
Career Diploma pathway
Louisiana industry-based certification that provides a
Career/Technical endorsement on the diploma
Dual enrollment with Louisiana’s community and
technical colleges
Articulation agreements with post-secondary schools
◦ Class credits
◦ Work experience credits
◦ Scholarships
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LRAEF Jim Funk Scholarship
LRAEF/NRAEF Co-Branded Scholarship
NRAEF ProStart® Scholarship
Post-Secondary School Scholarships for certified
ProStart® students (state and national)
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Showcases the talent of the top ProStart® students
from across the state
Students compete in two categories: culinary and
management
Judged by industry professionals and representatives
from post-secondary institutions
In 2010, over $300,000 in scholarships was awarded
to the top 3 teams in both culinary and management
1st place team in each category advances to the
National ProStart® Student Invitational
In 2010:
 Hammond High School placed 8th in the national
culinary competition out of 39 state champion teams
 Rayne High School placed 1st in the national
management competition out of 32 state champion
teams, earning each student an additional $30,000 in
scholarships
 $1.4 million in scholarships were awarded to the top
five teams in both categories
A talent pipeline for careers in Louisiana’s
world-renowned foodservice industry