Butchery Apprenticeship Programme

ABP UK

Shropshire (2 available locations)

Closes on Sunday 31 August 2025

Posted on 30 May 2025

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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

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.

Training provider

WORKFORCE TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT LTD

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.

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

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

About this employer

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!

http://www.abp-earlycareers.com (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

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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