Apprentice Production Chef

Summary

Join an experienced catering team with regular hours and a varied daily menu. You will help prep and serve dishes, contribute your own ideas, and even lead on some. Uniform provided, plus training in Food Hygiene, Allergen Awareness, and Emergency First Aid. A great opportunity to gain hands-on experience and qualifications!

Wage

£18,000 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Annual performance-based bonus scheme (7.5% of salary).

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

Hours

Monday to Friday, 6.30am - 2.30pm. No weekends, Bank Holidays good rate of pay.

40 hours a week

Start date

Monday 6 October 2025

Duration

1 year 3 months

Positions available

1

Work

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

What you'll do at work

Duties will include, but will not be limited to:

Preparation of breakfast e.g. toast, scrambled egg, mushrooms, fresh fruit
Set up of canteen every morning
Preparation of salad items & pre-packed salad boxes
Preparation of sandwich fillings
Preparation of lunch Items, e.g. baked potatoes & hot menu option
Serving customers breakfast and lunch
Communication on low stock items
Helping to put delivery’s away
Clean down and clean as you go
Pot wash
Accurate food labelling

Where you'll work

Fortune House Northgate Terrace Northern Road
Newark
Nottinghamshire
NG24 2EU

Training

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

College or training organisation

LINCOLN COLLEGE

Your training course

Production chef (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

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.
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.

Your training plan

The successful candidate will work towards achieving their Apprenticeship Standard in Level 2 Production Chef.
A dedicated work-based trainer will be assigned to the candidate to provide them with support and guidance throughout the course.
This is a predominantly work-based programme with College attendance required once a month. All learning will take place at the candidate's place of employment/College and within their contracted working hours.

More training information

Course outline:

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/st0589-v1-2

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English and Maths (grade A*/9 – C/4)

Desirable qualifications

Other in:

Emergency First Aid at Work (grade Pass)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Presentation skills
Number skills
Team working
Creative
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience

Other requirements

Must be 18 or over (due to licensing rules within the gambling industry).

About this company

Blueprint Gaming Ltd & Blueprint Operations Ltd are sister companies working within the entertainment and leisure industry, and we share a head office in Newark. BPG is a leading UK-based game studio, creating exciting slot games for the global online and mobile markets. BPO offer gaming cabinets with game content for the AGC Bingo Casino & Pub sectors. Both companies are part of the Merkur Group, and we provide in-house catering for our employees at Newark as one of our company benefits.

https://blueprintoperations.com/about/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Discounted Gym Membership & Onsite Gym with shower facilities; Breakfast & Lunch Provided; Tea, Coffee, etc. provided in staff kitchens; Uniform provided; Opportunity for performance-based salary increase after training.

After this apprenticeship

Opportunity to progress into a full-time Commis Chef role within the business upon successful completion of the apprenticeship.

Ask a question

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