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Start a new career path today!
Pikes Peak Library District is offering Food Industry Training, a five-week training program that gives you the entry-level skills you need to find or advance in employment as a qualified prep cook or line cook. The program will help you learn basic culinary fundamentals, practice professionalism, explore career opportunities in the culinary industry, and earn your ServSafe Food Handler certification. Gain vital skills to help revitalize the Colorado Springs hospitality workforce and join an industry with unlimited possibilities! Starting pay rates in the Colorado Springs area range from $15 - 17 per hour depending on the position.
No previous experience is required and there is no cost to participate. Participants must intend to pursue a career in the culinary industry. Food Industry Training will be offered multiple times each year. Check back for future dates or contact us to be notified of future dates.
Class Dates:
Mon., Sep. 30, 2024 through Fri., Nov. 1, 2024
- Time: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Location: Library 21c
- Address: 1175 Chapel Hills, Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80920
- Applications will open later this year. Please check back for more details
- Applicants must complete a phone interview and in-person interview in order to be eligible for acceptance into the program.
- If you are officially accepted into this training program, orientation information will be sent to you.
Students must be:
- Able to attend the scheduled program
- Eligible to work in the U.S.
- Pursuing a career in the culinary industry
- 18 or older
What you’ll learn:
- Recipe reading and conversion
- Proper food handling
- Product identification
- Basic stocks, sauces and mother sauces
- Proper Cooking Methods, from different products to different techniques
- Appropriate temperatures as related to the industry
- Professional appearance
- Resume building
- Team building
More About the Food Industry:
Wondering if this class is right for you? Learn more about the careers this training will prepare you for:
- What does a food preparation worker do? This short video walks you through what the job looks like on a day-to-day basis.
- What does a cook do? This short video walks you through what the job looks like on a day-to-day basis.
- Read about the wide variety of jobs in the culinary industry in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It covers training, wages, and duties.
- The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Program estimates that the mean hourly wage for Food Preparation and Serving Related in Colorado in 2021 was $16.46. Average employment in 2021 was 223,030.
Any questions, please contact the Adult Education Department at (719) 531-6333, x7225 or bkegley@ppld.org.