U S Department Of Labor Awards American Culinary Federation Education Foundation $481,200 Apprenticeship Grant

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF), the educational arm of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), a grant in the amount of $481,200 on August 5 for the ACFEF Apprenticeship Program to advance the growing needs of apprenticeship in the 21st Century.

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a total of $6,499,992 to 11 organizations, including the ACFEF Apprenticeship Program, under funding opportunity SGA/DFA PY 08-11, Advancing Registered Apprenticeship in the 21st Century: Collaborating for Success (http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20090916.htm). The grants are to assist national industry and employer associations and labor-management organizations in advancing Registered Apprenticeship through the development of innovative programs that utilize an updated 21st-century Registered Apprenticeship framework.

"The ACFEF National Apprenticeship Committee is pleased to be a recipient of the U.S. Department of Labor's grant for advancing apprenticeship," said Mary Zappone, CEC, AAC, ACFEF National Apprenticeship Committee chair. "This grant allows us to continue strengthening and developing this viable training program while increasing access and fulfilling the culinary industry's demand for trained chefs and cooks."

Currently, the ACFEF has 60 apprenticeship programs throughout the U.S. with 689 registered apprentices. Each ACFEF apprenticeship program is developed in voluntary cooperation with ACF chapters, business partners, government agencies, foodservice establishments and local colleges. The ACFEF Apprenticeship Program incorporates 10 on-the-job learning stations and an educational component, concluding with an associate degree in either culinary arts or pastry arts. Upon graduation, each apprentice is given the opportunity to verify his or her skills by testing for an ACF professional certification.

The ACFEF Apprenticeship Program has been registered with the Bureau of Apprenticeship, formerly the Bureau of Apprenticeship & Training, for more than 20 years. It is the only culinary-focused apprenticeship program registered that offers industry recognized professional certification upon graduation.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, chefs, cooks and food-preparation workers held 3.1 million jobs in 2006, and an 11 percent increase is expected in these positions between 2006 and 2016. As the Department of Labor's only provider of apprenticeship training for the culinary industry, the further development of the ACFEF Apprenticeship Program will be instrumental in providing industry-sanctioned training for chefs in high demand in areas that lead to a high-wage career path.

The ACFEF Apprenticeship Program offers industry sanctioned training that provides a career ladder for higher wage, in-demand jobs. According to the 2008 ACF Salary Survey, ACF members earn $14,100 more a year than the average chef or head cook in the industry. Full-time employment rates are higher for ACF members when compared to the entire employment population in the U.S. In addition, chefs who hold a certified executive chef or certified executive pastry chef ACF certification earn $10,900 more a year than a non-certified chef.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and the Chef & C