At Camosun College in Victoria, Canada, Professional Cook Levels 1 & 2 Certificate - Institutional Entry is offered as a foundation in Culinary Arts programme. The programme runs for 28 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,200 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Culinary Arts
Duration: 28 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,200 / total
Last checked September 2026 · Source: camosun.ca ·
Program details
Overview
This certificate program prepares students for entry-level and apprenticeship pathways in professional cooking through Camosun College's Institutional Entry route into Professional Cook Levels 1 and 2. It is a SkilledTradesBC-certified program delivered on campus at the Helmut Huber Culinary Arts Centre, where students prepare food for a cafeteria and later staff a training restaurant as they progress. Level 1 introduces foundational knife skills, food-preparation terminology, and cooking methods across areas such as breakfast and short order, sandwiches and salads, vegetables and starches, and soups and basic sauces, combining classroom technical training with hands-on kitchen practice and work-based training hours. Level 2 builds on that foundation with a wider range of cooking and food-preparation tasks performed with less supervision, plus an introduction to food costing, menu planning, and purchasing. Completing each level toward the Institutional Entry pathway earns work-based training hours that count toward a Professional Cook apprenticeship and eventual Red Seal certification. The program suits new entrants to the food service industry with little or no prior kitchen experience, as well as those seeking a more immersive, full-time introduction to the trade rather than an employer-sponsored apprenticeship route. Graduates are positioned to work in restaurants, hotels, and institutional kitchens while continuing toward higher Professional Cook qualifications.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Institutional Entry to Professional Cook Level 1 requires, for English, a C in English 10, C in English 10 Camosun Alternative, or C in ENGL 050; for math, a C+ in Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10 or C in MATH 037, with Foundations of Math and Pre-calculus 10, Principles of Math 10, Applications of Math 11, or MATH 053 at C or higher accepted as alternatives. Applicants must also submit documentation of completion of Food Safe Level 1. Entry to Level 2 instead requires a SkilledTradesBC Certificate of Qualification for PC1, or an equivalent verified by Camosun's Apprenticeship Office (250-370-3856). Camosun's admission page states no separate IELTS, TOEFL, or other language-test score for this certificate. Applicants must submit proof of the stated grade or higher for every requirement listed.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC for Camosun's open-enrolment programmes: for Fall 2027 (September) applications open 1 October 2026 with an early deadline of 15 May 2027 for priority registration and a late deadline of 26 August 2027; Winter 2027 (January) runs 15 September 2026 to 7 January 2027, and Summer 2027 (May) 15 January 2027 to 29 April 2027. Limited-enrolment programmes publish only an opening date and can close once the waitlist exceeds the seats on offer. International applicants must submit a complete application by 1 June (Fall), 1 October (Winter) or 1 February (Summer), though later applications are still reviewed while seats remain, making admission effectively rolling for both groups once the early deadlines pass. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
