Apprentice Butcher

We are seeking a motivated Apprentice Butcher to join our team. This entry-level position offers a valuable opportunity to develop skills in meat preparation, recipe development, and butchery within a professional environment.

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

This paid apprenticeship is ideal for individuals passionate about food, keen to learn, and interested in pursuing a career in the meat industry. You will:

• Help set up the butchery counter
• Serve on the butchery counter
• Package freshly prepared meat items to a set specification on a daily basis
• Learn about the products we sell so that you can help advise customers
• Ensure all health and safety and food hygiene standards are adhered to
• Clean down all equipment used
• Work in collaboration with the Croots team

The apprentice will learn:

• Knife skills - including cutting, boning, trimming, and mincing of meat
• Health and safety practices, food safety, and hygiene and key legislation
• Using butchery tools and machinery – including mincing, sausage making, bacon curing, vacuum packing
• Cutting whole carcasses, in season, from nose to tail
• Business profitability, maximising productivity, efficiency, and customer care
• Teamwork and customer care skills
• Specialist retail shop butchery skills

Where you'll work

FARNAH HOUSE
WIRKSWORTH ROAD
DUFFIELD
BELPER
DE56 4AQ

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

MEAT EAST ANGLIA TRADES (IPSWICH) LIMITED

Training course

Butcher (level 2)
[Understanding apprenticeship levels](opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business
• Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment
• Manual handling of carcasses or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process
• Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures
• Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain
• Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements
• Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service
• Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business
• Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements
• Process and dispose of waste material
• Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills
• Serve customers in line with brand standards
• Advise customers on the use by dates, storage, preparation, and cooking of meat products
• Prepare, produce, and display meat products such as joints, portions, sausages, burgers, value-added products, and offer alternative products when required
• Plan and prepare for seasonal supply and demand of meat products in the merchandising and promotion of seasonal foods
• Provide provenance and heritage product information
• Set up and close meat counter displays
• Balance the customers’ needs with additional linked products and services such as marinades, and encourage customer loyalty and repeat business
• Produce meat to the specific volume, size, and weight to meet the needs of stakeholders
• Maximise the saleable yield for the business relating to carcasses or primals
• Contribute to efficiencies to support the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the business through working to agreed specifications for their role
• Adhere to customer specifications and contracts
• Contribute to foreign body control and metal detection
• Meet key performance indicators within meat processing
• Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business
• Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment
• Manual handling of carcasses or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process
• Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures
• Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain
• Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements
• Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service
• Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business
• Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements
• Process and dispose of waste material
• Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills