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This document will provide you with information on five related trades: cook, assistant cook, chef, baker and baker-patissier.
A cook is a person who
Other job titles include apprentice cook, dietary cook, first cook, grill cook, hospital cook, institutional cook, journeyman/woman cook, licensed cook, line cook, second cook, and short order cook.
An assistant cook is a person who
A chef is a person who
Other job titles include chef de cuisine, chef de partie, corporate chef, executive chef, executive sous-chef, head chef, master chef, pastry chef, saucier, sous-chef and specialist chef.
A baker is a person who
Other job titles include baker apprentice, bakery supervisor and head baker.
A baker-patissier is a person who
This career map describes how you can be certified as any one of the five occupations listed above in Ontario. Many of the requirements are similar and will be described in a single section. Differences will be listed separately.
The above trades are skilled trades for which certification is voluntary. You do not need a Certificate of Qualification to work in these trades; however, employers in these trades may ask for one.
Apprenticeship is a training agreement between a person who wants to learn a skilled trade and an employer who needs a skilled worker. An apprentice earns wages while working and learning the skills necessary to become a qualified tradesperson or journeyperson.
To become licensed to practise your trade in Ontario you must do one of the following:
or
When you have done this, if you are interested in being a cook, assistant cook or baker-patissier, you must also:
The specific apprenticeship requirements for the trades described in this document are listed below.
To become a cook in Ontario you must
To become an assistant cook in Ontario you must
To become a chef in Ontario you must
To become a baker in Ontario you must
To become a baker-patissier in Ontario you must
Before you can receive government certification, you must complete training that covers the competencies listed in Apprenticeship Training Standards – Baker; Apprenticeship Training Standards – Baker-Patissier; Apprenticeship Training Standards – Cook or Schedule of Training – Assistant Cook; These documents list in detail all the skills that cooks and bakers must be able to demonstrate to be eligible to write the Certificate of Qualification exam. In Ontario, an employer who trains an apprentice signs off on each of the following competencies during an apprenticeship.
Cook
Assistant cook
Chef
Baker
Baker-patissier
As an internationally trained cook or baker, you must be able to prove that you have these competencies before you can write the Certificate of Qualification exam or receive your Certificate of Apprenticeship.
Although you are not required to pass an English language test when you apply for certification as a cook or baker, the job does require excellent language skills as well as basic math skills. Cooks and bakers in Ontario will be required to read recipes, food sanitation guidelines and safety regulations and procedures. You may also be required to give and receive instructions, in English, clearly and effectively.
To become certified, you must write a multiple-choice exam, which requires a knowledge and understanding of the trade’s specialized terminology in English or French.
There is no automatic certification for internationally trained trades people in any trade in Ontario, but there is an assessment process that evaluates their training and experience. The length of time that it will take you to become certified will depend on how closely your training and experience match the training standards for cooks and bakers in Ontario. It can take as little as a few days if you have the equivalent training, or as long as two to three years if you need to get work experience or to complete an apprenticeship.
Get as much information as possible about working as a cook or baker in Ontario. The Apprenticeship Training Standards for your trade is a useful reference if you are unfamiliar with the terminology used and the skills required in Ontario. You can get a copy of this booklet from a Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office in Ontario. (There is a list of these offices at the end of this fact sheet.)
You will need proof of your training and experience. Collect documentation that proves your skill level as a cook or baker. Include letters from employers or unions, diplomas, and other documents that describe your training and the work tasks you have performed. These documents must also show where and for how long you have worked as a cook or baker. It is important to include as much information as possible about your years of experience and a complete description of your duties at work, because the evaluation of your skills will be based on your on-the-job experience.
The Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service offices process all applications for trade certification in Ontario. When you arrive in Ontario, contact the Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office in your area and make an appointment to see an apprenticeship training consultant. If you haven’t already requested a copy of the Apprenticeship Standards for your trade, you can get one from the office.
Step 1. Meeting an Apprenticeship Training Consultant
The apprenticeship training consultant will ask you for documentation that describes your past work experience and training. Make sure you take along with you to this first meeting as many of these documents as possible:
If these documents are in a language other than English or French, bring a translation that is signed by a registered translator, a notary public, or a lawyer.
The apprenticeship training consultant will use these documents to compare your work experience to the requirements for certification as a cook or baker in Ontario.
Step 2. Assessment of Your Previous Training and Experience
The apprenticeship training consultant will assess your training and experience and determine if you need further training and experience in your trade before you write the Certificate of Qualification exam.
If your documented experience is equivalent to that of an apprentice in Ontario, you will be eligible to write the Certificate of Qualification exam (Step 3, below).
In some cases, you may become a “certificate of qualification challenger” and ask to receive credit for the exam without having to write it. In other cases (for cook basic and cook advanced), you may be eligible to take a multiple-choice exemption test in order to determine whether you may be exempt from taking the in-school training component of the apprenticeship. The exemption test is administered through community colleges. Again, speak to your apprenticeship training consultant.
Training and Work Experience. If required, you can enter into an apprenticeship contract to get on-the-job training. To get a position as an apprentice, you must apply directly to employers and find one to sponsor your apprenticeship. You will then register your apprenticeship agreement with a Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office.
You can find employers by looking in the Yellow Pages (the telephone directory for businesses) or in local newspapers. Employers sometimes place job ads at government employment agencies. Employers will want to see a well-written resume and for you to tell them how you will benefit their business and the trade.
Step 3. Application for the Certificate of Qualification (C of Q)
When you have met the requirements for certification, you will complete an application form for the Certificate of Qualification in your certified trade.
Step 4. Exam Preparation
The Certificate of Qualification exam is based on the skills that cooks need to succeed in the workplace. The content of the exam reflects the knowledge and skills required in all aspects of the trade, including on-the-job and in-school training. This is why many workers who have not worked in Ontario find the exam difficult.
The best way to prepare for the exam is to make sure that you can perform all the skills described in the Apprenticeship Training Standards for your trade. Study the competencies and be sure that you can explain the theory behind each task. Work experience is helpful before writing the exam.
Candidates interested in the trade of cook may also find the National Occupational Analysis (NOA) from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada helpful. The analysis can be found at http://www.red-seal.ca/Site/english/pdf/Cook_2003.pdf.
Step 5. Certificate of Qualification Exam
You may write the Certificate of Qualification exam for cook, assistant cook or baker-patissier at a Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office, once you have either completed an apprenticeship or shown (declared) that you have the competencies required for this trade. The exam is available year-round, usually by appointment. You can arrange a date to write the exam during your meeting with an apprenticeship training consultant. You must show photo ID on the day of the exam.
Description of the Exam. The Ontario Certificate of Qualification exam is a written exam with multiple-choice questions. These questions test your practical knowledge of workplace procedures and tasks. You are allowed three hours to complete the exam. The assistant cook exam is an Ontario-only exam and the only exam assistant cooks write. The cook and the baker-patissier exams are interprovincial exams only, and there is no Ontario exam first.
Readers/Interpreters . If you have difficulty with English or French, you may be allowed to bring a reader with you. Readers can be anyone whose English or French skills are strong; they may be relatives, friends, or interpreters from your community. Readers can sight translate the parts of the exam that you don’t understand, but they are not allowed to help you answer the questions. The exam is highly technical; make sure that you choose someone who knows English or French well, but does not have knowledge of your trade. Readers must sign a statement that they do not have any training or experience in the trade or any related trade, and have not translated for the cook or baker exam for the previous 12 months, or for any other trade for the previous six months. Arrangements for an interpreter must be made prior to the day of the exam.
English and French dictionaries, pencils, erasers, calculator and paper are available in the exam room. If a dictionary is unavailable in the exam room and you supply your own dictionary, you will be asked to submit it to the exam supervisor for inspection.
Pass Mark. The pass mark for the Ontario exam is 70 per cent.
Rewriting Failed Exams. Your exam results will be mailed to you. The results sheet will detail the score as a percentage for each section of the exam, so if you fail, you will know which areas you still need to improve. You may rewrite the exam no sooner than ten business days after receiving the results of your earlier exam. If you fail the exam three times, it is advisable to ask a Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service Apprenticeship training consultant for assistance with decision-making.
Step 6. Certificate of Qualification
If you pass the exam, your Certificate of Qualification will be mailed to you. You can get an official duplicate (copy) of the certificate from the Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office for a fee of $60.
Certificates may be renewed every year for a fee (see chart below). Further assessment is not required.
The Red Seal Program. This is an inter-provincial certification that may allow trades people to work in other Canadian provinces and territories. The inter-provincial standards examination is based on the National Occupational Analyses produced by HRDC. Cook and baker are two of the many trades included in the Red Seal Program on a national basis. Once a person has passed the Ontario exam, he or she will be eligible to write an inter-provincial exam, which will allow him or her to get a Red Seal affixed to his or her C of Q.
Some community colleges offer Red Seal readiness exam preparation courses for cook and baker. These courses give applicants practice in writing the exams. Participants spend forty-two hours over three months for a cost of less than $250 (as of March 2005).
Fees and Costs (in Canadian dollars) |
|
Services |
Fees (subject to change) |
Prior Learning Assessment |
Varies |
Application for the Certificate of Qualification |
Varies |
Registration of an apprenticeship, if required |
$40.00 |
Certificate of Qualification exam |
$100.00 |
Rewriting failed exams (re-examination) |
$100.00 |
Exemption test (per level of training – available for cook) |
$150.00 |
Official duplicate (copy) of the Certificate of Qualification |
$60.00 |
Renewal of the Certificate of Qualification |
$60.00 |
A number of colleges may offer cooking and baking classes, separate from apprenticeship, that can help you upgrade or learn new skills and techniques. If you are interested, contact your local colleges.
Cooks and assistant cooks typically work in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other health care institutions, central food commissaries, educational institutions and other establishments. Cooks are also employed aboard ships and at construction and logging campsites. Ontario Job Futures (2002) expected average employment prospects until 2007. Demand for cooks reflects changes in the overall economic climate. Employment growth in this occupation is concentrated in the accommodation and food service industries. These industries had a challenging year in 2003 and increased demand will partly depend on how quickly the tourism and hospitality sector recovers. There is an increase in demand for cooks who specialize in ethnic cuisine. Increased interest in health and fitness is creating a trend toward more healthful food. Salaries vary across the province. The 2001 Census showed an average annual employment income of almost $24,000 for cooks, including apprentices, who worked full time in the Toronto area. The average journeyperson’s salary for assistant cook is from $8 to $ 11 per hour, not including overtime and benefits , and from $10 to $34 per hour for cooks .
Chefs work in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other health care institutions, central food commissaries, clubs and similar establishments and on ships. Ontario Job Futures (2002) expected that employment in this occupation would increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2007; however, the tourism and hospitality sector had a challenging year in 2003. Increased demand for chefs will partly depend on how quickly the tourism and hospitality sector recovers. Some positions are more affected than others by seasonal and tourism trends. Salaries vary across the province. The 2001 Census showed an average annual employment income of $33,000 for chefs who worked full time in the Toronto area. The average journeyperson salary range is from $9.25 to $14.50 per hour, not including overtime and benefits. Chefs with higher qualifications can earn a much higher salary. Some companies offer bonuses, a car, meal allowances and other incentives.
Bakers work in bakeries, supermarkets, catering companies, hotels, restaurants, hospitals and other institutions, or they may be self-employed. Ontario Job Futures (2002) expects average employment growth for bakers through the year 2007. Demand for bakers in specialty areas is expected to outweigh a decline in bakers needed by large bakery plants. Bakeries in supermarkets have become widespread. Many hotels and restaurants contract out their baking to a growing number of specialized bakery firms. Many baking positions depend upon economic conditions in hospitality and tourism and demand may fluctuate. Large bakery plants are using more high-tech equipment and production technologies, resulting in faster production by fewer workers. Salaries may range from $10 to $15 per hour for baker and $9 to $20 per hour for baker-patissier. Salaries vary based on skill level, company size, mechanization of production and whether or not the work environment is unionized.
For more information on labour market conditions, see Ontario Job Futures at www.ontariojobfutures.net, the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) website (www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/home.shtml) or www.labourmarketinformation.ca) or the Independent Learning Centre website (www.ilc.org). In Ontario, this information is also available in the Ontario Job Futures binder at public libraries or at HR S DC Employment Resource Centres in your community.
For cook: food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations (this category includes, for example, bartender helper, bus boy/girl, cook’s helper, counter attendant, dishwasher, food service helper, salad bar attendant)
For chef: food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations (see above); restaurant and food service managers (for example, banquet manager, bar manager, cafeteria manager, food services manager, restaurateur)
For baker: baking machine operators, chocolate refiner, pastry chef
To order a copy of Apprenticeship Training Standards – Baker; Apprenticeship Training Standards – Baker-Patissier; Apprenticeship Training Standards – Cook or Schedule of Training – Assistant Cook; to get more information about certification, or to make an appointment with an apprenticeship training consultant, contact the Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office in your community.
Barrie Regional Office Belleville Area Office Brantford Area Office Brockville Area Office Chatham Area Office Cornwall Area Office Hamilton District Office Kenora Area Office Kingston Area Office London Area Office Mississauga Area Office North Bay Area Office Ottawa District Office
|
Owen Sound Area Office Pembroke Area Office Peterborough Area Office Pickering Area Office St. Catharines Area Office Sarnia Area Office Sault Ste. Marie District Office Sudbury Area Office Thunder Bay Area Office Timmins Area Office Toronto District Office Waterloo Area Office Windsor Area Office
|
For information on certification requirements and training in Ontario, contact
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities – training hotline (no charge in Ontario): 1-800-387-5656;
The Workplace Training Branch Apprenticeship Client Service office in your community (see the addresses and fax and telephone numbers listed above)
Government-approved centres for apprenticeship training for the trades of cook and/or baker :
Algonquin College, Ottawa
1-888-269-2762 (toll-free)
613-727-7662 (local)
Email: appapp@algonquincollege.com
Website for baker:
http://www.algonquincollege.com/acad_menus/current/0344XIFWO.html
Websites for cook:
http://www.algonquincollege.com/acad_menus/current/0346XIFWO.html
http://www.algonquincollege.com/acad_menus/current/0346X6FPM.html
Canadore College, North Bay
Phone: (705) 474-7600
Email: info@canadore.on.ca
Website for cook:
http://www.canadore.on.ca/Programs/Apprenticeship/Index.cfm
La Cité collégiale, Ottawa, Hawkesbury, Cornwall
Phone: (613) 742-2483 or 1-800-267-2483
Email: admissions@lacitec.on.ca
Website for cook (cuisinier):
http://www.lacitec.on.ca/prog_cours/pdf/guide/gp0506/p-1358-031.pdf
Confederation College, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Geraldton, Marathon and Sioux Lookout
Phone: (807) 475-6110
Website for cook: http://www.confederationc.on.ca/cookapprenticeship
Fanshawe College, London, St. Thomas, Simcoe and Woodstock
Phone: (519) 452-4430
Website for cook: http://www.fanshawec.ca/programs/coa2.asp
Fleming College, Peterborough, Lindsay, Haliburton and Cobourg
Phone: (705) 749-5530
Website for cook:
http://www.flemingc.on.ca/Full-time/ProgramDisplay.cfm
George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto
Phone: (416) 415-5000 or 1-800-265-2002
Email: info@gbrownc.on.ca
Website for baker/patissier:
http://www.gbrown.on.ca/Marketing/FTCal/chefschool/bakerapprent.html
Website for cook:
http://www.gbrown.on.ca/Marketing/FTCal/chefschool/cookapprent.html
Humber College, Toronto
North Campus
Phone: 416-675-3111
Email: enquiry@humber.ca
or
Lakeshore Campus
Phone: 416-675-3111
Website: http://www.humber.ca/
Website for cook: http://postsecondary.humber.ca/cuisine.htm
Lambton College, Sarnia
Phone: (519) 542-7751
Email: info@lambton.on.ca
Website for cook: http://www.lambton.on.ca/Programs/program_html
Niagara College, Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls
Niagara College Apprenticeship Information Line: (905) 735-2211 x 7457
Website for baker:
http://niagarac.on.ca/studying/programs/fulltime/appr_baker
Website for cook:
http://niagarac.on.ca/studying/programs/fulltime/appr_cook
St. Clair College, Windsor, Chatham and Wallaceburg
Email: info@stclaircollege.ca
Website for cook:
http://www.stclairc.on.ca/programs/apprenticeship/appren_cook.html
St. Lawrence College, Brockville, Cornwall and Kingston
Phone: 1-800-463-0752
Email: Liaison@SL.ON.CA
Website for cook and cook advanced: http://www.sl.on.ca/fulltime/index.htm
Sault College , Sault Ste. Marie
Phone: 1-800-461-2260 or 1-705-759-6700
Email: registrar@saultc.on.ca
Website for cook: http://www.saultc.on.ca/Apprenticeship.htm
For information on exam preparation courses
Some Ontario colleges offer exam preparation courses for cooks and bakers. Contact the college nearest you to find out whether it offers such training.
For information on Red Seal
Detailed occupational analyses are available at http://www.red-seal.ca.
For information on associations and guilds, contact
The Baking Association of Canada
7985 Tranmere Drive, Suite 202
Mississauga , Ontario L5S 1V9
http://www.baking.ca
Canadian Culinary Federation
30 Hamilton Court
Riverview , New Brunswick E1B 3C3
Phone: (506) 387-4882
http://www.ccfcc.ca
Canadian Pastry Chefs Guild
http://www.canadianpastrychefsguild.ca
Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
316 Bloor Street West
Toronto , Ontario M5S 1W5
Phone: (416) 923-8416
http://www.crfa.ca/
Escoffier Society of Toronto
P. O. Box 1093 Station A
Toronto , Ontario M5W 1G6
http://www.escoffiertoronto.com
North American Pastry Chefs Guild
http://www.pastrychefguild.net
Pastry Chefs Guild of Ontario Inc.
55 Austin Drive , PH 8
Unionville , Ontario L3R 8H5
Phone: (905) 470-0880
World Association of Cooks Society
http://www.wacs2000.org
For information on where to get help once you arrive in Ontario, contact
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
110 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario M4R 1A3
Telephone: 416-322-4950
Fax: 416-322-8084
E-mail: generalmail@ocasi.org
For information on settling in Ontario, visit www.settlement.org.
For information on access to employment for internationally trained professionals and trades people in Ontario, contact
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Access to Professions and Trades Unit
900 Bay Street
Mowat Block, 12th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2
Tel: 1-888-JOBGROW
Fax: 416-326-6265
E-mail: aptinfo@mci.gov.on.ca
Website: www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/french/citdiv/apt/


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