Earn While You Learn in the Baking & Pastry Apprenticeship Program

The baking and pastry apprenticeship program is accredited as Exemplary through the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation.
What Will I learn?
This curriculum is designed to prepare students to:
- Prepare yeast rolls, breads, pies, tarts, cookies, doughnuts
and frozen desserts based on local, regional and international
traditions and diversity - Prepare and decorate cakes, cookies and centerpieces
- Prepare pastry items and confectionery items
- Demonstrate basic food preparation skills with additional
attention to food cost - Design and prepare artistic showpieces and centerpiece
- And more!
How it Works
This apprenticeship program, which is sponsored by The American Culinary Federation Laurel Highlands Chapter (ACFLHC) and Westmoreland, is a cooperative program that combines 63 credits of academic course work with 4,000 hours of supervised on-the-job training in a participating restaurant, club, hotel, institution, resort or wholesale/retail bakery for an associate degree. The diploma program requires 45 credits of course work.
Classes are scheduled so that students have a sufficient block of uninterrupted time to complete their 40-hour week. Academic work can be completed as a full-time student in two years or as a part-time student over a period of three years.
At the completion of the program, students may apply for certification with the ACF.
The baking and pastry degree apprenticeship option may be completed through a partnership with Nemacolin Woodlands Resort or Seven Springs Mountain Resort as well as other approved apprenticeship sites.
- View the Baking and Pastry Apprenticeship Degree in the College Catalog
- View the Baking and Pastry Apprenticeship Diploma in the College Catalog
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the baking and pastry program may accept positions as: pastry cook, pastry chef, executive pastry chef, baker, cake decorator, baking sales representative, institutional baker/ pastry chef, retail baker/pastry chef, wholesale baker/pastry chef, production supervisor, food batch maker, operations manager, sales representative or training specialist.
Program Outcomes and Success Measures
Baking/Pastry, AAS (Apprenticeship & Non)
- Student graduation rate: 47%
- Student job placement rate: 100%
- Students eligible to obtain ACF certification by graduation: 1
Baking/Pastry, AAS (Apprenticeship & Non)
- Student graduation rate: 50%
- Student job placement rate: 100%
- Students eligible to obtain ACF certification by graduation: 2