What they do
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.
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Also called: |
Cafeteria Cook, Cook, Dietary Cook, Dinner Cook, Food Service Specialist, Food Service Worker, Prep Cook (Preparatory Cook), School Cook, Sous Chef
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Wages
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Vermont - 2023 |
Percentile1 | Hourly | Yearly |
10% |
$ 15.40 |
$32,040 |
25% |
$ 16.90 |
$35,150 |
Median |
$ 17.86 |
$37,140 |
75% |
$ 20.97 |
$43,630 |
90% |
$ 22.49 |
$46,780 |
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Average |
$ 18.72 |
$38,940 |
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More at CareerOneStop |
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Industries of Employment
United States - 2022 |
Industry | Percent of total |
- Educational services; state, local, and private
| 35% |
- Nursing and residential care facilities
| 22% |
- Food services and drinking places
| 16% |
- Hospitals; state, local, and private
| 8% |
| 8% |
More at BLS |
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Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about: |
- English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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- Food Production
Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
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- Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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- Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
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- Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
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Skills
People in this career often have these skills: |
- Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
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- Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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- Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
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- Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
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- Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
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More at O*NET |
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Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments: |
- Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
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- Conventional
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
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What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler |
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Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need: |
- Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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- Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
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- Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
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- Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
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- Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
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More at O*NET |
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Tasks
On the job, you would: |
- Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.
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- Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
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- Rotate and store food supplies.
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- Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.
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- Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
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More at O*NET |
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Related Occupations
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Career Video
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Projected Employment
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Vermont |
2022 employment |
1,238 |
2032 employment |
1,387 |
Annual percent change (compounded) |
1.1% |
Annual projected job openings (due to change and separations) |
212 |
More at Occupational Projections |
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Education and Experience:
- Typical education needed for entry
No formal educational credential
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- Work experience in a related occupation
None
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- Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
Short-term on-the-job training
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Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications |
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Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
- Physical activity is Very Important
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- Level of activity is Moderate
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Low | | High |
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Compare Occupations at O*NET |
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Job Zone
Some Preparation Needed |
- Specific Vocational Preparation Range
(4.0 to < 6.0) - A typical worker will require
over 3 months up to and including 1 year
of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
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Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP |
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Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have? |
Education level | | Percent of U.S. Workers |
Doctoral or professional degree or post-MA certificate | | 0% |
Master's degree or post-BA certificate | | 0% |
Bachelor's degree | | 7% |
Associate's degree | | 0% |
Certificate or some college, no degree | | 20% |
High school diploma or equivalent | | 71% |
Less than high school diploma | | 2% |
More at O*NET |
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Abilities
People in this career often have talent in: |
- Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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- Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
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- Category Flexibility
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
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- Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
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- Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
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More at O*NET |
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Work Activities
In general, what you might do: |
- Getting Information
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
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- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
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- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
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- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
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- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
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More at O*NET |
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Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day: |
- Monitor food services operations to ensure procedures are followed.
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- Inspect facilities, equipment or supplies to ensure conformance to standards.
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- Record operational or production data.
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- Maintain food, beverage, or equipment inventories.
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More at O*NET |
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Other Resources
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- CareerOneStop
resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
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- O*NET Online
nation's primary source of occupational information
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