MGM Springfield is helping to fund a culinary arts program at Holyoke Community College. The program will be named the MGM Resorts HCC Center for Culinary Arts at Holyoke. The program will be paid for by Holyoke’s share of community impact payments for being a community near to the casino that MGM is building in the state’s third largest city. It could turn out as many as 50 graduates a year.
Although most of the program’s students are aiming for jobs at the casino resort, they will be able go to work for any employer in the hospitality industry.
The college, MGM and Springfield Technical Community College are also jointly establishing a gaming training center for those who want to deal poker, craps and other games at the casino resort.
MGM National Harbor developed a similar program in Maryland, also in partnership with two community colleges.
MGM is building a $950 million casino resort in Springfield that is due to open in 2018. It may employ as many as 1,000 in its gaming department, including dealers, repair personnel, security and other staffers.
The dealer school will open near where the casino is going up.
Warren Leigh, a chef at Holyoke Community College told the Republican, “This is going to be it. This should be the place for people to get professional development.”
Dealers will be trained to run at least two games simultaneously and will also get training in customer service, security and game protection measures.
