Level 2 Butcher Apprenticeship

KEPAK GROUP LIMITED

Bodmin (PL31 2QB)

Closes in 17 days (Thursday 13 August 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 23 July 2026


Summary

Kepak are offering an exciting opportunity to join their team as a Level 2 Butcher Apprentice. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into the food industry and learn and develop your knowledge and skills.

Wage

£16,640 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Butcher (level 2)
Hours
4-days at site with 1-day a week at Duchy College Stoke Climsland. Working hours will be 7am - 3pm. Working days TBC.

40 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 1 October 2026

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

  • Knife Sharpening - Learning correct methods on how to sharpen a knife
  • Trimming bones - Trimming meat off of bones
  • Trimming trim to correct VLs (Visual Lean) - Learning about VLs and the importance of producing trim to customer specs
  • Trimming Primals (large pieces of meat) - Learn to trim primals to spec with a trainer at all times
  • Food Quality Safety, Health & Safety - Learn all aspects of Food Safety and Health and Safety within the meat processing industry

Where you'll work

Unit 9
Cooksland Industrial Estate
Bodmin
PL31 2QB

Training

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

Training provider

CORNWALL COLLEGE

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

Butcher Level 2.

The apprentice will start learning the basics and will progress learning different skills as they move through the apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 3)
  • Maths (grade 3)

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
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Physical fitness

About this employer

  • Kepak is a industry leading supplier of red meat to companies such as Tesco, M&S, Aldi, McDonalds and many other companies.
  • What makes Kepak a great place to work – Kepak stills see’s them selves as a family business even though they employee over 4500 members of staff, constantly training and upskilling giving staff a career by progressing through the company with several members of staff being with the company for over 30 yrs.
  • By starting a apprenticeship with Kepak you have the opportunity to learn Basic knife skills through to trimming, breaking carcasses down into primals.

http://www.kepak.com (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).

Upon successfully completion of this apprenticeship, you may be offered a permanent position.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CORNWALL COLLEGE

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000043514.

Apply now

Closes in 17 days (Thursday 13 August 2026 at 11:59pm)