Want to work in restaurants, bars, hotels, pubs or cafes as a cook? Spend more time in the kitchen and less time in the classroom with a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery apprenticeship through MCIE.

With this nationally-recognised qualification, you could become a cook, commis chef, or short order cook in eateries across Melbourne, Victoria and Australia.

According to the National Skills Commission:

• There are currently 38,200 cooks employed in Australia

• Average weekly earnings for this job role are around $1,188

• 48% of cooks work full-time in Australia

• 54% of cooks are women, with an average age of 35.

Government funded traineeship: $250*

Self-funded: $15,900

*This program is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth government funding to eligible candidates. Eligibility criteria applies.

Enrolment fees include additional resources required for the program and student ID charges. For additional service fees, such as re-assessment fees or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), please refer to the Domestic Student Handbook.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisite qualifications required to enter this program.

Education and skills

Students must complete a Pre-Training Review, meet the Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) skill standards for this program level, and demonstrate they are a suitable candidate for this program.

Regulatory

You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of at least 18 years of age.

All candidates require a Unique Student Identification (USI) number. If you do not have a USI number you can apply for one online at https://www.usi.gov.au/students, or you can give MCIE administration staff permission to apply on your behalf.

Students with disabilities

MCIE welcomes all people with disabilities, learning differences and medical conditions. Acceptance in this program is subject to candidates’ ability to undertake all program requirements as discussed in the Pre-Training Review, with reasonable adjustments where applicable.

Digital technology

Students must have sufficient digital literacy skills to access online content, enter answers to written questions and communicate with trainers via email, the student portal and the learning management system.

Industry requirements

Candidates may be asked to provide evidence of the following for work placement (requirements vary according to host employer policies):

• National Police Check

• Flu vaccination and COVID-19 vaccinations

Prior experience

Credit Transfer (CT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) are available. Credit Transfer is free of charge. RPL application fees are $145 per hour. Please click here for more information on RPL fees, terms and conditions.

Apprenticeship

This program is delivered in the workplace with approximately 6 hours of structured workplace training per month.

Assessment

Assessment for this program includes written tasks, long and short answer questions, group tasks, practical cookery tasks, oral presentations, role plays, scenarios, case studies, work placement logbooks, portfolios and projects.

Required equipment

We recommend that students have access to a laptop or tablet to submit their assessments. MCIE provides access to Microsoft Office.

A chef’s toolkit and uniform is also included in the resource fee.

Cher’s toolkit includes:

22cm cook’s knife, 26cm bread knife, 15cm boning knife, 9cm paring knife, 6cm turning knife, 20cm palette knife, filleting knife, 25cm sharpening steel, 30cm wooden spoon, rubber spatula, 30cm whisk, 23cm tongs, poultry scissors, star piping nozzle set, pocket thermometer, 2.5cm pastry brush, peeler, bowl scraper, tea towel, 50cm piping bag, 18-pocket knife roll.

Chef’s uniform includes:

MCIE white long-sleeve chef’s coat, checked chef’s trousers, MCIE white flat-top hat, white neckerchief, bib-style apron, half-length apron, slip-resistant safety shoes.