Chefs Training & Innovation AcademyCTIA

Chefs Training & Innovation Academy, usually shortened to CTIA, is a private culinary school that trains cooks, chefs and pastry chefs. It describes itself as a private institution, and its first campus opened in Centurion in 2009. It is accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) as a skills development provider and as an approved trade test centre for the Occupational Certificate: Chef (SAQA ID 101697), and it is an approved external integrated summative assessment (EISA) centre for the Occupational Certificate: Cook (SAQA ID 102296) with CATHSSETA. The academy also delivers UK-based Highfield and City & Guilds awards alongside the South African qualifications.

Teaching happens in three ways. Full-time learners are on campus Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:00, and several full-time programmes include an industry placement. Part-time learners attend one evening a week from 18:00 to 22:00 in a blended format. Online learners do theory and live sessions remotely, submit practical evidence, and write final examinations at a campus. There are four physical campuses, in Centurion (Gauteng), Durban (KwaZulu-Natal), Stellenbosch (Western Cape) and Mbombela (Mpumalanga), plus an online campus.

Programmes run from a six-month introduction to culinary arts through twelve-month culinary arts, advanced culinary arts and pastry programmes, up to combined and chef management programmes of 24 to 36 months. The advanced culinary arts programme leads to the Occupational Certificate: Cook at NQF Level 4, with a route into the Occupational Certificate: Chef at NQF Level 5. Nine-week short courses in cooking and baking are aimed at home cooks, and learnerships and apprenticeships are offered to employers.

Entry requirements depend on the programme: the twelve-month culinary arts programme asks for a Grade 9 pass with mathematics literacy and English at NQF Level 1, while the advanced programme asks for a Grade 10 pass with both at NQF Level 2. The main intakes are in February and July, and no closing dates are published. Every programme carries a non-refundable R1 000 application fee, and a deposit is payable within 30 to 60 days of acceptance. Fees can be paid at a discounted cash rate or by monthly debit order. NSFAS does not fund CTIA because it is a private institution; the academy lists student loan options through Fundi, Student Hero and the major banks instead.