Offered by Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, Canada, Trades - Apprenticeship in Baking: Apprenticeship is a trades - apprenticeship in Patisserie & Baking Arts programme. The programme runs for 12 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 118 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Trades - Apprenticeship
Field:Patisserie & Baking Arts
Duration: 12 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 118 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This program provides the technical training component of the Baking apprenticeship for students registered with SkilledTradesBC and sponsored by an employer in the baking trade. Training is organized into three levels of technical instruction, each roughly four weeks long, that together with employer-based work experience total about 5,040 work-based hours toward journeyperson certification. Level 1 technical content is typically completed within VIU's 12-month Professional Baking and Pastry Arts foundation certificate, Level 2 is usually taken as part of the Baking Management Diploma or occasionally as a standalone block, and Level 3 is offered as a standalone technical block. Instruction takes place at VIU's Nanaimo campus, where apprentices work with pastry chefs to refine advanced baking and pastry techniques building on skills developed on the job. On completing all required levels and work-based hours, apprentices are eligible to write the Interprovincial examination for Red Seal journeyperson certification, a credential recognized across Canada. The program is intended for apprentices already employed in a bakery or pastry operation who have completed the prior apprenticeship level, not for those seeking initial entry to the trade.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: This is an apprenticeship-progression programme: applicants must have successfully completed the previous apprenticeship level, be registered as an apprentice with SkilledTradesBC, and have an employer sponsor. Level 1 is not offered as a stand-alone programme at VIU, so entry to Level 1 requires first completing VIU's Professional Baking and Pastry Arts 12-month Certificate foundation programme. The page states no separate academic prerequisites or English-language proficiency standard for apprenticeship entry, and no minimum GPA or English-test score is published. Applicants register with SkilledTradesBC via its online portal before an employer sponsorship can be confirmed.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic (Canadian) applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC; Vancouver Island University sets no institution-wide equal-consideration date, and its admissions FAQ states deadlines vary by programme, with applications for most academic programmes opening 1 October in the year before a September start. VIU publishes no general closing date for that window; applicants are directed to each programme's own page for its own deadline. International applicants use the same portal; VIU publishes no international-specific institution-wide date either, and several health programmes (Practical Nursing, Nursing Unit Assistant) are stated as not currently open to international students. Each programme's own page carries its own Start Date, Deadlines, and Additional Application Details table for the 2026-27 cycle, and admission for programmes without a stated window is treated as ongoing/rolling until the intake fills. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
