Chef Academy Apprenticeship
FENWICK,LIMITED
Newcastle Upon Tyne (NE1 7AS)
Closes in 13 days (Friday 5 September 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 20 August 2025
Contents
Summary
Are you passionate about food and ready to kickstart your culinary career? Would you benefit from a structured approach to learning in a well-established business? You don’t need prior kitchen experience – just enthusiasm, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. Full training will be provided to successful candidates.
- Wage
-
£25,625.60 a year
- Training course
- Commis chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday. Shifts tbc.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 15 September 2025
- Duration
-
1 year
- Positions available
-
4
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
- Responsible for maintaining high standards of personal hygiene
- Responsible for preparing ingredients for the area/section they are working on, or as directed by the head chef/sous chef
- Measuring ingredients and portion sizes to specification, or as directed by the head chef/sous chef
- Dealing with deliveries and understanding stock rotation
- Maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen environment
Where you'll work
39 Northumberland Street
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 7AS
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
GATESHEAD COLLEGE
Training course
Commis chef (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Selects correct knife for task.
- Uses knives effectively and efficiently.
- Selects ingredients of the right quality that support sustainability and seasonality.
- Weighs, measures, and scales ingredients.
- Cooks from fresh producing complete dishes.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes meat, offal, game, poultry, fish, and shellfish from whole; trim, de-vein, portion, break down, bone, skin, fillet, shell.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes fruit vegetables.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes sauces.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes pureed and cream soup and stock based dishes.
- Prepares and cooks noodles, and fresh or convenience pasta.
- Prepares and cooks pulses and grains, including long and short grain rice.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes eggs or egg based dishes.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes leavened and unleavened dough products.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes sweet and savoury pastry products using short, sweet, and choux.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes scones, biscuits, sponge cakes, and non-sponge cakes.
- Prepares, produces, and finishes hot and cold desserts.
- Stuffs, fills and panés across food types.
- Prepares and cooks dishes using alternative ingredients eg plant based, gluten free.
- Prepares fresh ingredients, including from whole, using them across a menu to reduce waste and improve sustainability
- Uses seasoning, spices, rubs, and marinades to flavour ingredients.
- Sears, grills, deep fries, shallow fries, stir fries, sautés, braises, stews, bakes, roasts, boils, poaches across food types.
- Portions, plates, finishes, garnishes, and presents individual dishes.
- Exercises portion control and acts to maximise yield.
- Achieves intended quality in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance
- Identifies and resolves errors during the production process.
- Assists in the resolution of feedback, complaints, and issues.
- Prepares, cleans and uses manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking equipment and machinery safely, correctly and efficiently.
- Applies food safety and allergen procedures, including monitoring temperatures, during preparation, cooking, and holding.
- Selects and applies hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, including personal hygiene, PPE, and uniform.
- Complies with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
- Undertakes stock control, storage, and rotation.
- Applies food safety and allergen procedures, and monitors and records food temperatures, on delivery and in storage.
- Follows equity, diversity and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
- Uses techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
- Communicates with colleagues, manager and other stakeholders in a professional manner.
- Works as part of a team to support service delivery.
- Uses feedback to improve own performance.
- Manages own time to ensure tasks are completed.
- Selects correct knife for task.
- Uses knives effectively and efficiently.
- Selects ingredients of the right quality that support sustainability and seasonality.
- Weighs, measures, and scales ingredients.
- Cooks from fresh producing complete dishes.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes meat, offal, game, poultry, fish, and shellfish from whole; trim, de-vein, portion, break down, bone, skin, fillet, shell.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes fruit vegetables.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes sauces.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes pureed and cream soup and stock based dishes.
- Prepares and cooks noodles, and fresh or convenience pasta.
- Prepares and cooks pulses and grains, including long and short grain rice.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes eggs or egg based dishes.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes leavened and unleavened dough products.
- Prepares, cooks and finishes sweet and savoury pastry products using short, sweet, and choux.
- Prepares, cooks, and finishes scones, biscuits, sponge cakes, and non-sponge cakes.
- Prepares, produces, and finishes hot and cold desserts.
- Stuffs, fills and panés across food types.
- Prepares and cooks dishes using alternative ingredients eg plant based, gluten free.
- Prepares fresh ingredients, including from whole, using them across a menu to reduce waste and improve sustainability
- Uses seasoning, spices, rubs, and marinades to flavour ingredients.
- Sears, grills, deep fries, shallow fries, stir fries, sautés, braises, stews, bakes, roasts, boils, poaches across food types.
- Portions, plates, finishes, garnishes, and presents individual dishes.
- Exercises portion control and acts to maximise yield.
- Achieves intended quality in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance
- Identifies and resolves errors during the production process.
- Assists in the resolution of feedback, complaints, and issues.
- Prepares, cleans and uses manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking equipment and machinery safely, correctly and efficiently.
- Applies food safety and allergen procedures, including monitoring temperatures, during preparation, cooking, and holding.
- Selects and applies hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, including personal hygiene, PPE, and uniform.
- Complies with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
- Undertakes stock control, storage, and rotation.
- Applies food safety and allergen procedures, and monitors and records food temperatures, on delivery and in storage.
- Follows equity, diversity and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
- Uses techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
- Communicates with colleagues, manager and other stakeholders in a professional manner.
- Works as part of a team to support service delivery.
- Uses feedback to improve own performance.
- Manages own time to ensure tasks are completed.
Training schedule
You will work towards the Level 2 Commis Chef apprenticeship standard with Gateshead College.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4-9)
- Maths (grade 4-9)
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
- Customer care skills
- Presentation skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Patience
About this employer
Fenwick is the UK’s largest family-owned department store group with a rich heritage and history that has shaped who we are today! We are on an exciting journey of investment, looking towards a future that is every bit as bold and brilliant as what has gone before. We work collaboratively and our 2,000 strong workforce spans across our stores, our support functions including Digital, Buying & Merchandising, IT, Finance, People and Customer Service teams plus our valued restaurants and distribution centres and we are always on the lookout for talent to join our ever-growing family to exceed our customers' expectations.
http://fenwick.co.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
• 25% Colleague Discount • 28 days annual leave (including bank holidays) increasing by 1 day each year to a max of 33 • An extra day off for your birthday • Pension scheme • WeCare a 24/7 online GP, mental health support • Lifeworks
After this apprenticeship
Full-time post for the right candidate after successfully completing the apprenticeship.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
GATESHEAD COLLEGE
Gabrielle Coates-Bassi
apprenticeships@gateshead.ac.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000338073.
Apply now
Closes in 13 days (Friday 5 September 2025 at 11:59pm)
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