Box Hill Institute
3 years
A 3-year apprenticeship combining workplace experience with monthly practical training and online learning to develop professional commercial cooking skills. Ideal for aspiring chefs seeking a nationally recognised qualification to work in restaurants, hotels, and catering.
You must be at least 17 years old and an Australian Citizen, permanent resident, or humanitarian VISA holder. You must be employed as an apprentice Chef in a commercial kitchen with a registered training contract through an Apprenticeship Network Provider (ANP) and have an active Epsilon account. Box Hill Institute will conduct a pre-training review assessing your language, literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy to ensure the course is suitable for your needs.
The course comprises 20 core and 5 elective units covering: Food safety and hygienic practices, safe work practices, food handling and preparation techniques, kitchen equipment operation, basic and advanced cookery methods, preparation of appetisers, salads, stocks, sauces, soups, vegetables, fruits, eggs, poultry, meat, and seafood dishes, baking and pastry production, dessert preparation, special dietary requirements, vegetarian and vegan cooking, menu planning and costing, customer service, sustainable work practices, and specialised food items.
Box Hill Institute is a government-accredited training provider with national recognition. The course is delivered through a flexible, blended model specifically tailored for full-time apprentices, combining workplace experience with expert trainer support through at least 10 workplace visits and monthly on-campus practical sessions. The qualification is aligned with the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level 3 and provides pathways to higher qualifications in hospitality management.
Graduates become qualified trade cooks ready to work in restaurants, hotels, clubs, pubs, cafes, and coffee shops. The qualification opens pathways to advanced roles including Certificate IV in Kitchen Management, Diploma of Hospitality Management, Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management, and Bachelor's degrees in Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management. Students also have opportunities to showcase talent in industry competitions and awards.
