A Qualitative Study of School-to-Work Transition Experience of New Culinary Graduates Towards a Sustainable Growth in the Profession

School-to-work transition experience during the early years of employment is important because it shapes the new graduates’ perceptions towards their sustainable growth in the profession. Youth employment has always been the primary concerns in the culinary industry as previous studies reported that many of the new graduates failed to sustain in the industry. Early attrition among young culinary workers is one of the upsetting employment issues. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the transition experience during the early years of employment among new graduates who work in hotels and up-scale restaurants. Purposive sampling was conducted among young culinary workers with industrial working experience of less than 5 years. Majority of the interview participants shared their experiences related to the challenges they encountered when they started their first job. The findings also revealed the needs for supports and the received supports during the early employment. Interview participants shared how these received supports impacted their professional development. For the new graduates to sustain and develop in the industry, the abilities in coping with the challenges during their early employment are important. These were the first indication of their school-to-work transition success. Findings of the study are useful in the development of framework of effective and successful school-to-work transition.