AUGUSTA, Ga. () – A local college is preparing students with hands-on experience during the Masters.

Helms College students get practical experience in hospitality careers during Masters Week. They are doing it through work at the Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta Country Club, Edgars Hospitality group venues, exclusive hospitality venues, and more.

“A lot of students here, all around in the community working,” said Samuel Saxon, Certified Executive Chef, Helms College. “We do have a tremendous amount of alumni that are out at the National. Some are permanent chefs there that are actually employed year-round for the Augusta National. As well as just students learning. Trying to get an aspect of what the industry is.”

Student Hannah Williams is gaining all the knowledge this week while observing the chefs and seeing what it’s like working in the industry.

“This opportunity is really important for me because I’m learning experience in the kitchen. I’ve never worked in the food industry before, so this has been a really exciting experience for me,” said Hannah Williams, a Culinary Student.

This opportunity allows the students to get out and meet others in the industry and get real-world experience rather than just learning in a classroom.

“Getting my name out there and just being able to connect with a bunch of different cooks and a bunch of different kitchens is what I’m really looking forward to,” said Williams.

Helms College provides classroom learning with real-world job skills that Goodwill Industries founded.

“We can teach them so much in the classroom, but it’s the real-world feel where they’re actually working in a kitchen,” said Saxton.