Chefs
Up to £38,983 /year
Chefs plan menus and prepare, or oversee the preparation of food in hotels, restaurants, clubs, private households and other establishments.
Admissions
Entry Requirements
What You'll Need
- No formal entry requirements
- A genuine enthusiasm for food and willingness to work hard
- Successful interview with our team
- Initial assessment in Maths and English
If you haven't yet achieved grade 4 in Maths or English, you'll study for these alongside your course. It's part of the timetable, not extra work bolted on.
Explore Related Courses
Other courses you might be interested in:
Level 1 Level 1 Introduction to Culinary Skills
Level 2 Level 2 Diploma Professional Cookery
View all Catering and Hospitality courses →
What You'll Learn
This course is about getting your hands on real ingredients and learning to cook them properly. You’ll work through the core techniques: stocks, soups, sauces, meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, pastry, desserts, building the skills that every professional kitchen demands. Our tutors bring genuine industry experience into the training kitchen. When they show you how to break down a fish or build a sauce, it’s because they’ve done it hundreds of times in working kitchens.
You’ll also cover food safety and health and safety, not as separate subjects you sit through, but as part of how a professional kitchen actually works. By the end of the year, you’ll have the speed, the technique, and the understanding to move into Level 3 or step into an entry-level kitchen role. The course is practical and demanding. Students who come through it say it pushed them — and that’s exactly the point.
Core Units
- Food Safety
- Health & Safety
3 units from
- prepare and cook stocks, soups and sauces
- prepare and cook fruit and vegetables
- prepare and cook meat and offal
- prepare and cook poultry
- prepare and cook fish and shellfish
- prepare and cook rice, pasta, grains and egg
- produce hot and cold desserts and puddings
- produce paste products
- produce biscuit, cake and sponge products
- produce fermented dough products
This course focuses on 3 of these cookery units which will be confirmed when starting the course, but others will also be covered during the course.
How You're Assessed
Assessment Methods
Coursework
Written assignments, research projects, and case studies that let you explore topics in depth.
Practical Assessment
Hands-on tasks and practical demonstrations in realistic working environments.
Career Destinations
Where This Course Takes You
Cooks
Up to £22,683 /year
Cooks prepare, season and cook food, often using pre-prepared ingredients, in clubs, private households, fast food outlets, shops selling food cooked on the premises and the catering departments and canteens […]
Bakers and Flour Confectioners
Up to £30,656 /year
Bakers and flour confectioners prepare and bake dough, pastry and cake mixtures and make and finish flour confectionary products by hand.
Kitchen and Catering Assistants
Up to £24,936 /year
Kitchen and catering assistants assist in the preparation and service of food and beverages in restaurants, cafés and other eating establishments, and perform various cleaning, fetching and carrying tasks.
Your Progression Pathway
- Level 1 or GCSEs
- Level 2 Level 2 Certificate in Culinary Skills CG
- Employment or further study
Life on the Course
See What It's Really Like
Our Facilities
Train in Real Professional Kitchens
You'll learn in the same kitchens used by our Level 3 students and WorldSkills competitors. Professional equipment, professional expectations — from day one.
Professional Training Kitchens
Industry-standard equipment, professional workstations, and the intensity of a working kitchen environment
Waterfront Restaurant
Our AA Rosette-awarded restaurant. You'll see how a real service runs and understand what the industry actually looks like
Dedicated Prep Areas
The same kit you'll find in professional kitchens across the world
Professional Kitchens
Student Voice
“
I gained skills, confidence, and insight into professional kitchens. I enjoyed teamwork in the dessert club, and now I plan to start my own bakery after studying at Doncaster College.
For Parents & Carers
Supporting Your Child's Journey
Real Career Prospects
These qualifications lead to real jobs. Our courses are built around the skills that employers are actually hiring for — locally and nationally.
See career optionsGCSE Support Built In
If your child needs to resit GCSE English or Maths, it's built into the timetable — not bolted on as an extra. They'll get structured support alongside their main course.
About student supportFinancial Support Available
Bursaries are available, and free meals are provided for those who qualify. If cost is a concern, there's help — and it's straightforward to apply.
Financial support infoTutors With Real Experience
Our tutors bring real industry experience into the classroom. They teach what's actually used in the workplace, and students consistently say this is what makes the course work.
Our facilities For Careers Advisers
Quick Reference Guide
Level
Level 2
Duration
1 year
Study Mode
Full-Time
Entry
No formal entry requirements
Assessment
Coursework + Practical Assessment
Progression Routes
Route A: Level 2 Certificate → Level 3 Kitchen & Larder or Patisserie → Employment or HE
Route B: Level 2 Certificate → Level 2 Professional Cookery Diploma → Level 3
Ready to Get Into the Kitchens?
Applications for September 2026 are open. Apply online in 10 minutes.
Questions? Call free 0800 358 7575 or email dcinfocentre@don.ac.uk