craft YOUR JOURNEY
Welcome to the Culinary Apprenticeship Academy. This three-year program offers two curated streams designed to support your educational and career goals. Gain hands-on experience alongside our culinary teams, build your skills in a luxury hospitality environment, and take the first steps towards a rewarding culinary career and future leadership opportunities with Fairmont.
Which Program Is Right for You?
Explore our program streams and find the path that’s right for you. Whether you’re eligible for our Traditional Program or your education and experience are better suited to our Custom Program, you’ll find an option designed to support your goals and set you up for success.
Traditional Program
The Traditional Program is designed for those who want to follow a more traditional culinary education pathway alongside their hands-on experience in the kitchen. Each year, you’ll spend time at one of our preferred post-secondary institutions (or an approved alternative) to complete your formal education, while continuing to build your skills and experience on the job.
Once you’ve completed the required work hours and education components, you’ll be ready to take the next step towards your Red Seal certification by writing the Red Seal exam.Length of Program
3 Years
Properties
1 property for the duration of the program.
Annual Kitchen Rotation
Experience 4 kitchens through 3-month rotations.
Education
Your education component will happen on campus with one of our participating schools.
Custom Program
The Custom Program was specifically designed for Canada’s Western Mountain Region to give culinarians the opportunity to experience a diverse range of locations, restaurant concepts, cuisines, operational environments, and leadership styles across our properties.
This program is unique to the Canadian Western Mountain Region, offering a rotational experience that allows participants to work across three of our five properties throughout the three-year program while completing the self-directed educational components.Length of Program
3 Years
Properties
1 property per year. 3 properties throughout the duration of the program.
Annual Kitchen Rotation
Experience 4 kitchens through 3-month rotations.
Education
Your education component will happen through the online cooking education platform ROUXBE, that offers instructor-guided courses and certifications for aspiring cooks and culinary professionals.
Ingredients for Your Success
The Culinary Apprenticeship Academy is an opportunity to build the foundation for a successful culinary career, but what else do you need to get there? Alongside hands-on experience, these program benefits are designed to give you the support you need to take your experience to the next level.
Your craft and trade are powered by the tools you rely on, and we’re here to help you keep your toolkit in top shape. Each year in the program, you’ll be eligible for a $175 annual tool allowance reimbursement, helping you invest in the equipment you need to do your best work.
Throughout the Traditional Program, you’ll complete a formal culinary program at one of our partner schools, with your tuition fully covered by us.
If you choose the Custom Program stream, your ROUXBE enrollment fee will be fully covered by the hotel.
Our leaders are dedicated to supporting your success, development and education. Throughout each program stream, you’ll be paired with a mentor who will guide, support and encourage you as you take the next steps on your journey into culinary leadership.
Explore a world of different cuisines, kitchens, techniques and leadership through the rotational component of your program. Gain experience in up to four unique kitchen environments, build your skills across a variety of culinary concepts, and discover what it takes to bring new ideas to life.
Take your learning beyond the kitchen with experiences designed to broaden your culinary perspective. From farm tours to black box competitions, you’ll gain new insights, challenge your creativity and deepen your understanding of the culinary world.
Your Next Course
The following three years will give you the skills, experience and confidence to build a career in the culinary world. But what comes after that?
Where it takes you is up to you, but we’re committed to supporting your growth, encouraging internal mobility and helping you find the right fit within Fairmont.
Your apprenticeship is just the beginning. The next course is yours to create.
Continue your career within Fairmont
Our teams are here to set you up for success and help you find your fit within Fairmont. And if you’ve fallen for the mountains, your next opportunity could be right here.
Work in different culinary outlets
Each property is a world of its own, with new kitchens to explore, cuisines to master and concepts waiting for your creativity to bring them to life.
Progress into leadership
Throughout your apprenticeship, you’ve built your skills and gained valuable leadership experience, now it’s time to put it into action.
Build an international hospitality career
With more than 5,000 hotels across the Accor collection, you’re opening the door to a world of opportunities.
Find Your Place in the Mountains
Our Canadian Western Mountain Region is home to five extraordinary properties, each offering its own unique setting, team and experience. We encourage you to explore each destination before applying so you can get a feel for where you’d love to call home.
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Beyond the Kitchen
In the mountains, life beyond the kitchen is all about your appetite for exploration. Your days off can feel like someone else’s dream vacation, with endless opportunities to explore, get outside and make the most of every season. Here, your professional adventure is only part of the journey, the rest is yours to discover.
Work Here
Frequently Asked Questions
If you thrive in a classroom setting, the Traditional Program gives you the opportunity to complete your formal education while putting your skills into practice in our kitchens.
If you prefer a more immersive, hands-on experience with self-guided learning and support from a consistent leadership team, the Custom Program may be the right fit for you.
See what sets each program pathway apart HERE
Not matter which stream you choose, you’ll embark on a three-year journey, giving you the time and experience to develop your craft.
Throughout the application process, our hiring team will work with you to determine which property is the best fit based on factors such as your school location and lifestyle preferences.
With the Custom Program, you’ll follow a rotational schedule designed to give you experience at three of our five properties throughout your program, allowing you to broaden your skills and experience different culinary environments.
While we can’t always guarantee placement at your preferred property, our team is committed to finding the right fit and creating the best possible experience for your culinary journey.
No formal culinary experience is needed! The Culinary Apprenticeship Academy is designed for anyone looking to build the skills and experience needed to kick-start their culinary career. All you need is a passion for cooking, a willingness to learn and the drive to build your skills from the ground up.
We know making a move can feel daunting, especially when you’re looking for a comfortable place to call home before and after work. To make your transition easier, our properties offer subsidized staff accommodation giving you one less thing to worry about as you settle into mountain life.
The final course is yours to create. We hope your time in the Culinary Apprenticeship Academy inspires a long-term career with Fairmont, with opportunities to continue growing, learning and stepping into leadership roles along the way.
