chef preparing food

A New and Better Life in the Hospitality Industry

Transform your passion for food and hospitality into a well-paying career in the culinary industry. Over the course of 8 weeks, gain the skills and confidence to cook in some of the best kitchens in the Chicagoland area. Through UHCHI’s U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program, you will earn a national Journey Worker Certification that enables you to move around the country and grow within the industry, like other tradesmen and tradeswomen with a more traditional career pathway, but your path with UHCHI has no cost to you. Don’t go into debt for a better life! Gain the skills you need, with job placement support, and all of the services you need to succeed. Sound too good to be true? Reach out and let us convince you!

Reach Out

Our Impact

Data and Statistics from UHCHI’S first full year of operation, April 2021 to April 2022.

UHCHI Culinary Apprentices
0 of 39

are currently employed across 16 properties.

Hours of On-The-Job Training
0

In our first year of operation, UHCHI Apprentices completed over 6,177 hours of on-the-job training.

39 of 40 UHCHI Apprentices
0 %

successfully completed the 8-Week US Department of Labor Registered Chef de Partie Educational Component.

Everything You Need to Succeed

UHCHI is committed to the success of our apprentices.

Every apprentice leaves the classroom portion of their apprenticeship program not just with the expertise gained during their 8 weeks of intensive instruction, but with the physical tools to impress and succeed. You will receive a professional grade knife kit and textbook. You are also entitled to borrow our uniforms for job interviews. Between your uniform, your personal knife kit, and your new skills, you are sure to land a job in no time!

UHCHI supports you with job placement assistance, from resume building, to practice interviews, and access to exclusive job offers during the 8 week classroom instruction, during your paid on-the-job training, and for the rest of your career.

Whenever you need help with the next step in your career, UHCHI is here to advance you!

Chef preparing food

FAQs

To qualify for our Chef de Partie Apprenticeship program, Applicants must be

  • Age 18 and over

  • Authorized to Work in the U.S

  • Able to read, communicate and comprehend English and perform Kitchen Math (Additional supports are available)

  • Available and willing to work evenings and weekends

  • Able to meet physical demands and requirements of the industry

  • Commit to the 8 Week Classroom Training (Individuals who do not successfully complete will not be referred to employer partners)

  • Successfully complete the prerequisite evaluations: Adult Basic Education Assessment (CASAS), Knife Skills, Kitchen Math and complete initial interview with Chef Instructors

  • Have the goal to obtain Full-time employment in a Professional Kitchen with one of the partner employers

UHCHI’s Chef de Partie Apprenticeship program is completely free to participants.

While you won’t need to pay anything, the cost to UHCHI of the education you will receive approximately $5,500 per participant, which includes an eighteen-piece professional grade knife kit, The Professional Chef textbook and two industry-recognized credentials: ServSafe Food Handler Certification and the American Hotel and Lodging Education Institute (AHLEI) Certified Kitchen Cook Certification.

UHCHI hosts 4 cohorts per year, one beginning mid January, one beginning end of March/early April, one beginning in the middle of June, and the final one beginning at the end of September.

Get in touch with us to see when you can begin!

Your apprenticeship consists of 8 weeks of classroom/teaching kitchen instruction followed by paid on-the-job training. To complete the paid on-the-job training portion, you must complete 1000 hours and pass your competency assessments, which most apprentices achieve within 6-12 months.

UHCHI programs and services are free to participants, and financial barriers are further reduced through stipends provided by our partner Hire360, along with other barrier reduction supports that are made available if the apprentice is eligible and based on the availability of funds. Please reach out to us directly so we can determine which supports you qualify for and make this apprenticeship program a realistic option for you.

UHCHI’s Chef de Partie Apprenticeship program promises a debt-free pathway into a well-paying, unionized career in the culinary and hospitality industry. Your starting wage with one of our employer partners during the paid on-the-job training portion of your apprenticeship will be no lower than $16.50/hr, with most of our apprentices earning over $20/hr. As a member of the UNITE HERE Local 1 Union, you will have a say in your life an your workplace, as well as some of the best benefits in the industry, including healthcare and a pension plan. Over the course of your career, you will earn approximately $301,533 more in compensation than your peers that did not complete a registered apprenticeship.

Our Success Stories