General Cooking Occupations
Central Valley Opportunity Center · Winton, CA
- Cost
- $5,838
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
No outcomes reported for this program
About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
No regional figures for this program's city
Winton is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Job ads may call this: Cook · Sous Chef · Dinner Cook · School Cook
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.
- Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
- Rotate and store food supplies.
- Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.
- Typical pay in California
- $47,565per year
- Projected openings
- 51,210
- Projected change
- +9.9%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.
- No high school diploma
- 27%
- High school diploma
- 42%
- Started college, no degree
- 18%
- Two-year degree
- 6%
- Four-year degree
- 6%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Cooks, All Other
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
The Department publishes no list of daily tasks for this job. This is how it describes the work instead.
All cooks not listed separately.
- Typical pay in California
- $43,946per year
- Projected openings
- 6,420
- Projected change
- +10.3%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.
- No high school diploma
- 27%
- High school diploma
- 42%
- Started college, no degree
- 18%
- Two-year degree
- 6%
- Four-year degree
- 6%
- Master's degree
- 0.9%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
The course provides students with a complete overview of cooking skills necessary to enter cooking and food service occupations. The course is based largely on hands-on experience and teaches basic skills for employment in cooking occupations and food service. The General Cooking Occupations program provides training in the planning and preparation of foods for the food service industry. The training also includes sanitation requirements for the proper cleaning of equipment, cooking utensils and work area. Instruction is given through demonstrations, hands-on participation, handouts, lectures, videotapes, and cookbook assignments. Instruction is enhanced by meeting the demands of the cafeteria at the CVOC facility. Evaluation and assessment is accomplished by written and/or verbal performance testing procedures. Students will receive California Food Handler Safety card and Food Safety Training - Safe Practices and Procedures Certification.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
EDD Merced WSB / Merced County WorknetComprehensive center
Phone: 209-726-5407 EDD Merced WSB / 877-267-9675 Merced County Worknet
1205 West 18th StreetMerced, CA 95340about 8.9 miles away
Hours: Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; First Thursday of every month 8:00 am - 7:00 pm.
Has a veterans' representative
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →