Apprentice Chef

DCG

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

• Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
• Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
• Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
• Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
• Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Use feedback to improve own performance.
• Prepare and close down an area for service.
• Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
• Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
• Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
• Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
• Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
• Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
• Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

• Essential qualifications
  • GCSE in: English (grade E/2 or above)
  • Mathematics (grade E/2 or above)
• Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
• Skills
  • Communication skills
  • Organisation skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Enthusiasm
  • Willingness to learn
  • Passion for cooking
• Other requirements
  • This role will involve evening and weekend work.

About this employer

Mustard is a small family run business who pride themselves in creating dishes that are both delicious and memorable and food should nourish the soul.

https://mustardheanor.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

Full-time employment.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

• DCG
• Niall Nanson
• Email: niall.nanson@derby-college.ac.uk
• Phone: 01332 387420

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000055735.

Apply now

Closes in 12 days (Sunday 11 October 2026 at 11:59pm)

Sign in or create an account

Support links

• Get help (opens in new tab)
• or give us feedback (opens in new tab)

Lower footer links

• Accessibility
• Cookies
• Privacy
• Terms and conditions

© Crown copyright