Vancouver Island University offers Trades - Apprenticeship in Professional Cook 3: Apprenticeship - Direct Entry, a trades - apprenticeship in Culinary Arts programme in Nanaimo, Canada. The programme runs for 6 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: 6 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 118 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This is the direct-entry Level 3 technical training block of the Professional Cook apprenticeship, delivered part-time over 14 weeks at VIU's Nanaimo campus for registered apprentices sponsored by an employer who have already completed Level 2. The curriculum covers advanced culinary techniques including sophisticated meat processing methods such as curing and smoking, elaborate pastry work, chocolate and sugar work, and complex production systems for high-volume service, alongside kitchen leadership capabilities that build on the skills and workplace experience gained in the earlier apprenticeship levels. On completion, apprentices write the Interprovincial Red Seal examination to achieve journeyperson certification, an internationally recognized culinary credential. The program suits experienced, employer-sponsored apprentice cooks who have completed Level 2 and are progressing toward full professional certification and greater responsibility in a professional kitchen, rather than students seeking initial entry to the culinary trade.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Entry to this Professional Cook Level 3 apprenticeship requires the applicant to have successfully completed the previous apprenticeship level (Professional Cook Level 2), 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.
