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Brightwater Offers New Sous Chef Apprenticeship

July 11, 2022

Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food and a department of NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) recently launched the American Culinary Federation’s Certified Sous Chef (CSC) Apprenticeship program, which offers more hands-on training by culinary professionals and less traditional classroom instruction - as apprentices do not take the general education prerequisite courses required of Brightwater’s traditional associate degree programs.

“Brightwater’s sous chef apprenticeship is a way to train people who are interested in a career in the food industry but aren’t necessarily interested in the traditional associate degree path,” said Brightwater Executive Director Marshall Shafkowitz. “It’s another example of how being a part of a community college like NWACC allows Brightwater to respond to the needs of the community and make education and career training more accessible. We try to remove as many barriers as possible to help people successfully enter the workforce.”

The Certified Sous Chef (CSC) Apprenticeship consists of 432 hours of technical instruction at Brightwater and 4,000-6,000 hours of on-the-job paid training with a partner employer, taking two to three years for an apprentice to complete. As job training hours are completed, apprentices experience incremental pay increases, allowing them to earn while they learn.

“Those who complete our certified sous chef apprenticeship will have skills and competencies in 10 core areas in food production. They will feel confident in food service management positions in areas such as culinary, baking or beverage management and qualify for better job opportunities with higher wages,” said Brightwater Chef and Apprenticeship and Career Coordinator Brittany Eddelbuttel

Brightwater’s apprenticeship is registered through the US Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Programs and the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF). Upon completion, an apprentice is eligible for the written and oral exams for Certified Sous Chef (CSC)® certification through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). CSC® certification gives apprentices a competitive edge in the industry and puts them on a path to management-level positions.

Learn more about the Certified Sous Chef Apprenticeship program.