IT MIGHT look like a bit of fun in the kitchen, but you could be looking at the next Australian superstar chefs.
These students are among the next generation of talented teens hoping to turn a high school subject into a promising career.
Last week thousands of HSC students tackled the hospitality exam — the most popular vocational elective this year.
Almost 23,000 students were enrolled in at least one HSC Vocational Educational and Training (VET) course.
Of those, 7782 students did hospitality.
The exam, held on October 19, was not compulsory.
Only students who wanted an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) to get into university did the exam.
The others had a good head start, with their chosen course giving graduates a shoo-in to the workforce.
Alongside cooking and baking, students learnt about ethical and environmental matters such as sustainability and industry legislation including changes to government smoking laws.
Hospitality has traditionally been an in-demand subject at De La Salle Senior College at Cronulla.
Forty-eight students studied the vocation this year.
Vocational training co-ordinator Yvette Kennedy said this was not surprising.
"We consistently have between 40 and 50 students each year," she said.
"We have to knock back kids every year, and the only way to do that is to see who has a real interest in it as a career."
She said school-based apprenticeships, which gave students the opportunity to study and work part-time during school hours, were highly valued by business operators.
"There are lots of employment options in our region," Ms Kennedy said.
"We expose them to real-life work placement experience in cafes, restaurants and hotels.
"About half of our students didn't do the exam because they already have jobs next year."
The rise of reality series such as My Kitchen Rules and MasterChef also attracted a strong batch of students to the course.
"Because of the success of these television programs, kids are seeing it as a trendy career — they idealise these shows," Ms Kennedy said.
Former students have secured top jobs in Sydney's food and wine scene.
"We've had great success stories," Ms Kennedy said.
"One of our former students runs a restaurant and another is a pastry chef at the Intercontinental."
