Prep Cook Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Hospitality Training Academy (HTA) JATC · Los Angeles, CA

Cost: $4,400
Length: 5 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 job 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.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Cooks, Restaurant

Job ads may call this: Cook · Saucier · Fry Cook · Line Cook

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.

Typical pay in California: $46,017per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $45,822
Projected openings: 271,050Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 84,380
Projected change: +18.5%
Usually needs: No formal educational credential

Getting in

Experience needed first: Under 5 years in a related job
Training after you are hired: 1 to 12 months

Employers usually expect some time in a related job as well as the training. Ask the provider what their graduates did before they were hired.

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.

Program details

This program provides in-person instruction only.

This California DAS Registered Pre Apprenticeship prepares participants to work in hotel banquet departments, supermarket deli departments and with other employers as an entry-level Prep Cook, as well as prepares them to enter HTA's Line Cook Apprenticeship. Participants will learn kitchen safety and sanitation; allergen safety; safe and efficient ergonomics; knife safety & knife skills; COVID prevention; salad, vinaigrette, salad dressing and sandwich production; kitchen math and measurements; fruit, vegetable, and sliced cheese and meat platter production; and buffet set-up. Speed drills encourage students to work quickly, safely and efficiently. Participants will also gain computer, resume-writing and interview skills through hands-on training. They will also lean the basics of applying for jobs, customer service, and teamwork and will understand how diversity in the workplace creates an improved work environment. Certificates earned include Food handlers Certificate, and HTA Industry-Recognized Certificate.

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

A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.

The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator

Downtown/Pico-Union WorkSource Center, Pacific Asian Consortium in EmploymentComprehensive center
Phone: 213-353-1677
1055 Wilshire BlvdSuite 900ALos Angeles, CA 90017about 0.7 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. (Evenings by appointment only)
Veterans AJCCAffiliate site
Phone: 626-375-6792
1816 S. Figueroa St.4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90015about 1.7 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm
Has a veterans' representative
Hollywood WorkSource CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 323-454-6100
4311 Melrose AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90029about 2.1 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
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 →