Photo: Screenshot from the CCTV News

Yueyang Barbecue College in Central China's Hunan Province officially launched enrollment for its 2026 "academic qualification with professional skills" advanced talent training program, aiming to train formally qualified barbecue chefs through a one-month intensive program.

Co-founded by Yueyang Open University and the Yueyang Barbecue Association, the college's program features a one-month, full-chain practical training, Hunan Today reported.

Students in the program will attend theoretical lectures in the morning, receive hands-on training in the afternoon, and go to barbecue restaurants for on-site learning in the evening, the head of the college said. 

The head added that the tuition fee for the one-month skills training program is 5,800 yuan ($843), which includes all consumables. 

Theoretical courses cover barbecue history, cost control, and labor law; practical training is divided into two distinctive local barbecue styles: charcoal grilling and iron-plate grilling, where students gain hands-on experience in the entire process from ingredient selection and marination to grilling, per the report.

In the evenings, students will take part in on-site operations at more than 30 top local barbecue restaurants. "During peak customer flow hours, students can observe unexpected situations and gain insights into restaurant operations," the head said.

Since its establishment was announced in July 2025, the college has independently compiled three school-based textbooks and visited specialty barbecue restaurants across Yueyang to collect materials covering the entire process of ingredient selection, marination, and grilling, the report said.

The college has also launched academic advancement classes for more than 30 seasoned barbecue masters with "high skills but low academic qualifications," enabling them to gain teaching credentials, according to the report.

After graduation, students can not only verify their college or undergraduate academic degrees on the national education certification platform, but also take the vocational skills appraisal examination for barbecue chefs under the category of Chinese culinary chefs, Hunan Today reported.

"Our enrollment hotline has been ringing off the hook," the college head said, adding that he did not expect to receive more than 40 consultation calls just two days after the enrollment drive kicked off.

He said that a restaurant owner from East China's Shandong Province drove all the way here overnight, hoping to send his chefs for further training, adding that there is even a high school graduate from Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province who plans to come and study and eventually open an authentic Yueyang barbecue restaurant back in their hometown, according to the report.


Global Times