Offered by Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, Canada, Trades - Apprenticeship in Professional Cook 2: Apprenticeship - Direct Entry is a trades - apprenticeship in Culinary Arts programme. The programme runs for 14 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 118 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Trades - Apprenticeship
Field:Culinary Arts
Duration: 14 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 118 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This is the direct-entry Level 2 technical training block of the Professional Cook apprenticeship, delivered full-time over 14 weeks at VIU's Nanaimo campus for registered apprentices sponsored by an employer who have already completed Level 1. The curriculum builds advanced culinary skills including meat cutting and protein preparation, making fresh noodles and dumplings, dining-room service, and pastry and dessert production, alongside menu planning and food-cost management. On completion, apprentices progress toward Level 3 training and, ultimately, the Interprovincial Red Seal examination for journeyperson certification. The program suits working cooks with employer sponsorship who have already completed foundational culinary training and want to deepen their technical range and kitchen-management skills as part of their progression through the apprenticeship system, rather than students seeking initial entry into professional cooking.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Entry to this Professional Cook Level 2 apprenticeship requires the applicant to have successfully completed the previous apprenticeship level (Professional Cook Level 1), to be registered as an apprentice with SkilledTradesBC, and to have an employer sponsor. The program page sets out no separate academic prerequisites, age floor, or English-language test score; no IELTS, TOEFL or similar figure is published for this level. No portfolio, interview or physical-fitness condition is stated. Admission runs through the SkilledTradesBC apprenticeship pathway rather than a conventional academic entrance requirement, and applicants with questions about seat availability or waitlists are directed to VIU's Apprenticeship Admissions office.
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.
