It can be a daunting time for young adults this time of the year with exam stress and leaving school. For many young chefs this is the time to go off to college or join an establishment on an apprenticeship programme. I have spoken to quite a few chefs who have never been to college and have just stuck themselves in at the deep end and trained within establishments and learned on the job. Many young chef’s come to me looking for work and they often don’t have any experience working in a kitchen environment. It can be challenging trying to find positions to suit young chefs as many establishments don’t offer training programme’s simply because they either don’t have the time during the season to do so or they don’t have the man power to do it.
Many establishments do offer young chef's who are in the middle of a college course/ degree to work in their establishment over the summer before returning in September. This can be a fantastic way for the chef's to gain more experience and take their new skills back to college with them, it also helps them to build a CV whilst at college.
What advice would you give to a young chef looking to start their career in the industry? Would you recommend college or go straight into an apprenticeship within an establishment?
RSS