Culinary Youth Apprenticeship

The Chef Apprenticeship program is a training initiative that provides on the job learning to apprentices in the culinary industry such as hotels, restaurants, country clubs, hospitals and other facilities where they will hone their skills to become professional culinarians. The apprentice will complete a workplace competency checklist and approximately 2,000 total hours of work, usually within a year, at their chosen Employer Partner. Also apprentices are enrolled in 240 contact hours of coursework at Dallas College. Upon successful completion apprentices will receive a USDOL Apprenticeship Certificate along with the American Culinary Federation Certified Culinarian credential.

Any person who is:

• 16-23 years old
• Has a high school diploma or equivalent (pre-apprenticeship opportunities available to students still in high school)
• Is eligible to legally work in the United States
• Passionate about the culinary arts and creating a structured career path that includes supportive staff, industry professionals, and educators.

Once the apprentice has been interviewed and hired by a supervising chef at an employer partner, they are in the program.

These are the steps the prospective Apprentice must take to enter the program:

1. Contact the Facilitator of the Apprentice Program, Dustin Dent at DDent@DallasCollege.edu. The Facilitator will then send the prospective Apprentice a link to Jobtimize, where they will take a small career fit assessment that will highlight aspects of their professional personality.
2. Prospective Apprentices will be registered in the RAPIDS Career Portal that is run by the United States Department of Labor. This is how the OJL will be tracked by the Apprentice and the Supervising Chef
3. Prospective Apprentices will apply to the Employer Partner through their Applicant Tracking System and be called for an interview
4. Apprentices will go through application and interview coaching with the Facilitator
5. When the Apprentice finds a place of employment, they will begin a 90-day probationary period that will allow both the Employer Partner and Apprentice to understand the role they will have in the workplace.
6. Upon completion of the probationary period, Apprentices will begin Required Related Instruction and continue to work at Employee Partner site
7. When the Apprentice successfully completes their OJL and Required Related Instruction, they will earn the Certified Culinarian credential from the American Culinary Federation as well as an Apprenticeship Certificate from the USDOL.

A qualified culinary facility for the purposes of the Chef Apprenticeship Program is a facility that meets the following requirements:

• Employs as its executive chef (Supervising Chef) an individual who has or is eligible for one of the following qualifications: CCC, CEC, CMC, CEPC or holds an associate or bachelor's degree or higher in culinary arts or related studies from an accredited college/university in the USA.
• Offers full-service menu with at least 51% of the items are prepared from scratch.
• Serves at least two of the following meal periods/experiences: breakfast, lunch, dinner, banquets and/or off-premise catering.
• Operations at a qualifying worksite must offer an apprentice the ability to complete all of the OJL Required Knowledge Competencies.
• Is recognized as a legal entity by the State of Texas and the United States government.
• Provides full-time employment for the apprentice. This is usually between 30-40 hours each week.

Dallas College will provide the Required Related Instruction according to the Standards of Apprenticeship document approved by the US Department of Labor. Classes will meet at times agreed upon with Employer Partners and will follow the program of study outlined in the USDOL Work Process Schedule and related outline as defined by the American Culinary Federation.

Apprentices are paid the rate set by the Chef Apprenticeship Committee and Dallas College and approved by the US DOL. That rate is currently set to be competitive for all qualified culinary facilities in the DFW area. Employer Partners may pay more according to their staffing and HR policies. The Standards of Apprenticeship provide for stepped pay increases according to the published schedule.

Required Related Instruction will be scheduled around the Apprentice’s time working with their Employer Partner. Classes will bolster the skills acquired while completing OJL and will give the Apprentice the opportunity to work with fellow professionals and colleagues.

All expenses will be paid through the Apprenticeship Building America grant. This includes tools needed to work in the kitchen such as knives, baking tools, uniforms, and work shoes. Apprentices will be responsible for transportation to the Business Partner location and to attend classes at the Dallas College Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality Center.

If an apprentice quits or is let go from their job or drops out of Dallas College, then he or she is automatically dropped from the apprenticeship program. He or she may apply to the Apprenticeship Committee for reinstatement at a later date.

Upon successful completion of 2,000 hours, having mastered all of the required competencies as outlined by the ACFEF checklist of on-the-job training as well as completion of 240 hours of Required Related Instruction, the Apprentice will receive a US DOL Apprenticeship Certificate as well as certification by the American Culinary Federation at the Certified Culinarian level. This certification along with the yearlong work under an experienced tradesperson will set the Apprentice up with a network of established culinary professionals, and a set of skills that will be invaluable in their pursuit of a culinary career.