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Apprentice Butcher

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Join E V Slack Butchers as a Level 2 Butcher Apprentice
Gain hands-on experience in meat preparation, cutting, customer service, food safety and product presentation while working alongside experienced butchers. Earn while you learn and build a long-term career in the industry.
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
Responsibilities
The apprentice will learn how to:
- Prepare meat products
- Serve customers
- Make sausages and burgers
- Help with counter displays
- Follow food safety procedures
- Clean down equipment
- Work as part of the shop team
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Course Contents
- Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
- Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
- Manual handling of carcases 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 carcases 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 carcases 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.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
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Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
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The apprentice will typically spend four days per week in the workplace, gaining practical skills and experience, and one day per week at Bishop Burton College completing their off-the-job training. College attendance will support the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to achieve the Level 2 Butcher apprenticeship standard.


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Requirements
- GCSE in:
- English (grade 3/D)
- Maths (grade 3/D)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Customer care skills
- Presentation skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Physical fitness
This is a practical, hands-on role involving standing for long periods, manual handling, working in chilled environments and handling raw meat. You will use a range of butchery equipment, including knives, mincers, sausage fillers, burger presses and wrapping equipment. PPE, including aprons, gloves and chain mail where required, will be provided. Early starts and cleaning duties form part of the role.
About Us
Join an award-winning, fifth-generation family business where you'll learn from experienced Master Butchers in a genuine 'farm to fork' environment. E V Slack & Sons has over 100 years of butchery heritage, operating its own farm, on-site abattoir, traditional butcher's shop and coffee shop, making it an excellent place to begin a long-term career in the industry.
Benefits
- Staff discount
- Uniform provided
- Pension
- Training
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship.
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, there may be the opportunity to progress into a permanent full-time role and/or continue your development by undertaking the Level 3 Butcher apprenticeship, subject to performance and business needs.
Contact
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BISHOP BURTON COLLEGE
Jade Bishop
apprenticeshipenquiries@bishopburton.ac.uk
01964553056
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000043030.
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