Butchery Apprenticeship Programme
ABP UK
Shropshire (2 available locations)
Closes on Sunday 31 August 2025
Posted on 30 May 2025
Contents
Summary
As a Butchery Apprentice at ABP UK, you'll gain foundational knowledge and practical skills in butchery, contributing to the production of award-winning British and Irish beef and lamb products. You'll learn about quality, efficiency, traceability, sustainability, animal welfare, stress prevention and much more!
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Increase of salary at the end of the apprenticeship programme
- Training course
- Butcher (level 2)
- Hours
-
Shift work, starting at 6am, Monday to Friday.
End time will depend on the day but typically between 2pm - 4pm.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 1 September 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
6
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
- Learn the Basics: Acquire foundational knowledge in butchery principles, meat species, and carcass processing techniques
- Master Your Craft: Develop knife skills for cutting, boning, trimming, and mincing meat
- Gain Industry Insight: Understand the meat sector's history, values, culture, and traditions
- Team Collaboration: Work with the team to meet deadlines and productivity targets
- Maintain Standards: Adhere to health, food safety, and hygiene standards
- Support Operations: Assist in stock control, quality assurance, and customer expectations
Where you'll work
This apprenticeship is available in these locations:
- The Abattoir, Hordley, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 9BL
- ABP Shrewsbury,, 1 Battlefield Rd,, Shrewsbury,, Shropshire, SY1 4AH
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
College or training organisation
WORKFORCE TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT LTD
Your 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 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.
Your training plan
Training schedule has yet to be agreed. Details will be made available at a later date.
Requirements
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
- Attention to detail
- Team working
- Physical fitness
About this company
ABP Food Group is one of Europe’s leading integrated agri-food businesses, with divisions specialising in food production, pet food and renewables. Over our 70-year history, we have grown to 14,000 strong team and have built a reputation for quality and innovation. ABP UK, part of the ABP Food Group produces quality fresh and frozen beef, lamb and frozen meat-free products to some of the nations leading supermarkets and restaurants, including a number of Michelin Star establishments!
After this apprenticeship
Upon completing your apprenticeship, you'll gain qualifications including:
- Level 2 Food Safety Award
Level 2 Health & Safety in the Food Supply Chain Award
Level 2 Knife Skills Award
This apprenticeship is a stepping stone to advanced qualifications and specialised roles within ABP UK. You'll also be recognised by the Institute of Meat (IoM), enabling you to use the initials M.Inst.M. Continue your journey in sustainable butchery, retail, or further education in the broader meat industry.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ABP UK
Kate Taylor
talentacademy@abpbeef.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000323256.
Apply now
Closes on Sunday 31 August 2025
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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.