Combination Foundational Cookery and Baker Skills Programme Course Requirements at Capsicum

This one-year combination pairs the Foundational Cookery Programme with the Assistant Baker programme. Learners work towards the QCTO Occupational Certificate: Kitchen Hand (NQF 3, SAQA ID 110354) and the QCTO Assistant Baker occupational skills programme (NQF 2), plus City & Guilds Level 1 introductory cookery awards.

It is a good fit for people with a Grade 9 education who want a practical start in the food industry and would like both savoury kitchen skills and baking skills after one year of study. Having both makes it easier to find work in small restaurants, coffee shops, canteens and bakeries.

The cookery half covers hygiene and food safety, how professional kitchens run, using kitchen equipment, and core cooking methods such as boiling, braising, roasting, grilling and frying, as well as cold food preparation. The baking half covers bakery principles, cakes, biscuits and basic pastries, and dough products. Both parts include work-integrated learning, and the baking section alone includes about ten weeks in working bakeries.

The programme is full-time with intakes in February and July. Graduates can move on to the Professional Chef, Professional Patisserie or Advanced Professional Chef programmes.

Kitchen hand, prep cook, assistant baker or bakery assistant in restaurants, hotels, caterers and retail bakeries, with a path to further chef or pastry qualifications.

Apply online through the Capsicum student portal (student.capsicumcooking.com/signup) and pay the R1 000 application fee. Have a certified copy of your ID, your latest school results or highest qualification and proof of address ready. International applicants also need a valid study visa, which can take six to eight weeks. Places per intake are limited, so apply well before the start date.