Kapiʻolani Community College is gearing up for round two of its successful Hawaiʻi Cook Foodservice Apprenticeship Training program, which will begin November 13.

Employees of food service establishments can be referred by their employer to receive 210 hours of quality culinary instruction, at no cost to the employer. The employer will also receive a $500 bonus when the apprentice successfully completes all the courses of the program.

The college will be hosting two orientation sessions during the first week of November. Employers can contact Marcus Fikse, the program coordinator, at marcusjt@hawaii.edu or (808) 734-9477 to send their employees to enroll and attend.

  • November 3, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Tamarind room in the Ohelo Building
  • November 6, 12–2 p.m. in the Tamarind room in the Ohelo Building

“We received a very enthusiastic response from the food industry during our first intake. With over one hundred apprentices enrolled, it has been a huge success,” said Fikse

“We know that it takes perseverance and effort to attend and successfully complete the hands-on culinary skills lab training and online courses,” said Chef Instructor Grant Sato. “For those who continue on to completion, they will have attained the basic professional training in principles and processes of cookery that allow them to take their craft to another level. They are getting the equivalent of $1,638 of instruction (13 credits at $126 a credit for local tuition at Kapiʻolani CC) for free. What an unbelievable opportunity for anyone in the culinary industry who never had the opportunity to attend a college level culinary class or couldn’t afford to!”

The program is funded by a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship USA State Expansion Grant, issued to the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Workforce Development Division office.

About the training

The apprentice will attend 1 six-hour in-person, hands-on culinary instruction lab class each week at the Kapiʻolani CC campus on the basics of cooking on either a Monday, Friday or Sunday. In addition, the apprentice will be enrolled in a series of 4 distance education (on-line) lecture courses each lasting 5 weeks. Topics will include introduction to the food service industry, sanitation, menu planning and culinary nutrition.

For additional information please visit the Hawaiʻi Cook Foodservice Apprenticeship Training website.