Delaware’s first restaurant apprentice program set to launch in Rehoboth

The Delaware Restaurant Association and Secretary of Labor Cerron Cade are launching a Registered Apprenticeship Program for culinary professionals in the restaurant industry — a major expansion of an on-the-job training program that primarily focuses on more traditional trades like plumbing and construction.

The Delaware Cook Apprenticeship Program will have its pilot program in Sussex County, with a kickoff at Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach on March 29.

The program features both on-the-job training and classroom instruction, with apprentices earning certifications and pay increases as they complete skills assessments.

“I’m very excited to announce this new apprenticeship opportunity for Delawareans,” Cade in a press statement. “With the strong and steady growth of the food services industry, this is a great example of government and industry working together to ensure that worker and employer needs are met. Apprenticeship is an excellent workforce training tool that is being used more and more by local, regional and global employers.”

The Cook Apprenticeship Program is modeled on the Delaware Restaurant Association’s successful ProStart culinary and management curriculum, part of Delaware’s Pathways to Prosperity program, reaching over 3,000 students in 18 local high schools, including McKean High School and William Penn High School.