Trades - Apprenticeship in Cook Apprenticeship

Cook Apprenticeship is a Red Seal apprenticeship at Niagara College leading to a Certificate of Apprenticeship, for students with strong organizational skills, attention to detail and an interest in preparing and plating food. The full programme (Cook, code 415A) is delivered across two 15-week in-school terms, combined with paid on-the-job training in a professional kitchen. Students train in leading-edge facilities that include a 40-acre vineyard, a teaching brewery, and the college's student-led restaurant, Benchmark, and its takeout counterpart Bench-to-Go, gaining hands-on experience preparing food for real customers. Graduates are prepared for careers in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and clubs. Admission requires an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or Grade 12 equivalency and employment in the trade with a sponsoring employer. The programme starts in the Winter, and the majority of in-school tuition is subsidized by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. A shorter Assistant Cook credential (415B) covering only the first in-school term is also available.