How to be a chef
How To Be A Chef is Square Food's FREE vocational programme in food and cooking, created in partnership with Bristol 24/7.
The programme provides young people (aged 16-25) with skills for employability and opportunities for progression to further catering-related learning or employment.
The next How To Be A Chef programme starts in April 2025. We will be taking expressions of interest in January 2025. Please keep an eye on this page and our Instagram and Facebook accounts to learn more.
The Course
This FREE 12-week training programme runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays (10am – 4pm) for 12 weeks. You’ll learn to hold your own in a professional kitchen, learn a range of different cooking techniques and recipes, visit food producers, growers and factories, and work with mentors to create a CV and improve your interview skills.
Along the way, students will gather a Level 2 BTec qualification and Level 2 Food & Hygiene certificate as well as the transferable skills that employers might look for – like team-working, taking the initiative, working without supervision and presentation skills.
There’s no requirement to know how to cook, and you don’t need specific qualifications or brilliant academic results. We’re more interested in your commitment, enthusiasm and motivation for attending the course.
We run programmes in April and September, please get in touch to register your interest.
“The course made me aware that I do still want to learn and has motivated me to apply for uni. Just learning and hearing everyone’s stories and life experiences have really helped me grow as a person.
This isn’t just a course for people interested in the food industry but also a way of meeting people, having a good time and has helped me realize what I wanted with my future. It’s a really good thing to do if you are like me and had no idea what you wanted to do in the future. Also having a cooking course in your CV opens up your opportunities infinitely and is something that seems to really interest interviewers even if the job isn’t that related to it.
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This programme is delivered in partnership with Bristol 24/7. Watch our film to find out more.
