Culinary Students to Get a Path To Dubai

Twenty professional schools will battle it out on 19 October when Zimbabwe hosts its first national competition under the Crafts and Culture Challenge, offering student chefs a direct route to Dubai and, potentially, jobs with global hotel brands.

The competition, organised through the Crafts and Culture Challenge and Future Leaders Platform, is being framed less as another local contest and more as an entry point into international hospitality careers. Winners of the Zimbabwean leg will proceed to the Global Final in Dubai, a separate four-day event bringing together finalists from participating countries with senior figures from the world tourism industry.

Hubert Ummels, owner and founder of GameChangers and Future Leaders Platform, said the programme was designed to work alongside existing training schemes in Zimbabwe rather than replace them, while giving young people access to a network that stretches well beyond the country’s borders.

“The platform will support Zimbabwe’s ambition to develop a skilled workforce by exposing young people to international standards and allowing those who gain experience abroad to potentially return home with new knowledge and expertise,” he said.

Representatives of UN Tourism and executives from major hotel groups, including Marriott and Hilton, are expected to attend the Dubai final. Organisers say the event will pair the cooking contest with professional development sessions, industry networking, cultural programming and a job-matching component aimed at connecting students with potential employers.

Emmah Kativu, president of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe and a board member of the initiative, said the employment link was central to the programme’s appeal.

“A job-market component will further connect participating students with potential employers, creating opportunities for international internships and employment,” she said. “The international exposure could be particularly valuable to young Zimbabweans seeking to build careers in the global tourism industry.”

The Crafts and Culture Challenge already operates in 20 African countries, among them 14 in Eastern Africa alongside Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, with a further footprint across Southeast Asia, Europe and the United Kingdom. In Tanzania, the organizers point to an existing tour-guide competition that has been folded into the model rather than displaced by it, an approach they say could be mirrored in Zimbabwe so that established programmes keep their identity while gaining international backing.

Ummels said the initiative had already secured support from the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. The First Lady’s Office has also been briefed, with the organizers hopeful that the First Lady will attend the October event, which they say aligns with her gastronomy drive.

Luckson Zambuko, Country Manager for the Future Leaders Platform in Zimbabwe, said the initiative will also be mentioned in the Sanganayi Tourism Expo, where its board members will represent different segments of the tourism sector.

“The participation will provide an opportunity to engage with the Tourism Business Council and other industry stakeholders, reinforcing the platform’s focus on collaboration across the tourism value chain,” he said.

The strategic board members of the Future Leaders Challenge Zimbabwe are Ross Kennedy, Director, Africa Albida Tourism, Hubert Ummels, Owner and Founder, GameChangers and Future Leaders Platform, Luckson Zambuko, Country Manager, Future Leaders Platform Zimbabwe, Christopher Sithole, CEO, Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe, Emmah Kativu, President, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe, Ivan Kasozi, Group Operations Executive, Cresta Hotel, Kumbi Chiweshe, Chairman, Zimbabwe Tour Operators Association and Nico Vivier, Regional Director of Operations and Development, Minor Hotels – Africa