Food Technology Advanced Apprentice
BAKKAVOR GROUP PLC
Bourne, Dover, Lincolnshire, London, Spalding
Closes in 17 days (Tuesday 3 March 2026)
Posted on 11 February 2026
Contents
Summary
If you are a methodical thinker interested in learning the customer, safety, quality and legislative standards necessary for successful, large scale, food manufacturing and you want the sense of pride in knowing you have helped to ensure our food is of the highest quality, then our Advanced Apprenticeship in food technology is ideal for you.
- Wage
-
£19,000 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Increasing to £22,000 in Year 2
- Training course
- Food industry technologist (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 08:30 - 17:00
(Breaks to be confirmed)
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
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Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
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2 years 6 months
- Positions available
-
5
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
A career in Food Technology at Bakkavor means feeling a sense of pride in knowing that you have ensured the food on consumers’ plates is safe to eat.
This will include:
- You will be given the chance to work alongside many different departments to see how a kitchen concept is made ‘real’ and manage the process through to see a product hit the retailer shelves
- You will learn about areas such as process design and food science in the context of food safety legislation and quality standards
- This technical role focuses on the key business areas of food safety and product quality and will involve working alongside other departments to ensure that all manufacturing is done correctly, safely and to a high standard of quality
- By the end of your programme, you will be able to utilise your food science knowledge to ensure the smooth transition of food products from factory to fork ensuring that technical and quality standards are achieved whilst maximising profitability to meet customer requirements
Where you'll work
You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship is available in these locations:
- Bakkavor Salads, 33 Spalding Road, Bourne, PE10 0AT
- 4 Millyard Way, Eythorne, Dover, CT15 4NL
- Bakkavor Meals Sutton Bridge, Langley Park, Chalk Lane, Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, PE12 9YF
- Bakkavor Meals Elveden, 304 - 306 Elveden Place, Park Royal, London, NW10 7SY
- West Marsh Road, Spalding, PE11 2BB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN
Training course
Food industry technologist (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Implement and maintain risk management systems (for example, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).
- Review and maintain technical procedures for food businesses.
- Use a range of IT systems to analyse and interpret data to identify trends and drive Continuous Improvement (CI).
- Provide and interpret management data and information (reports and presentations).
- Conduct sensory evaluation activities.
- Contribute to Continuous Improvement (CI).
- Develop and maintain effective relationships with customers, suppliers and colleagues.
- Use problem solving techniques and investigation methods, including root cause analysis.
- Influence and negotiate with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using technical language and methods appropriate to the audience.
- Check raw materials, packaging and finished product quality against legislative requirements and specification.
- Monitor and review manufacturing standards and parameters.
- Support trials on new and existing products.
- Investigate product non-conformance and recommend corrective action.
- Contribute to the development and innovation of new and existing products.
- Plan and produce samples suitable for all stages of the new and existing development process.
- Contribute to the creation of product specifications and label content.
- Contribute to the identification and selection of parameters for sensory analysis and shelf life evaluation.
- Apply agreed standards to compare and evaluate against samples.
- Compile product costings.
- Conduct food product audits against standards and recommend areas for improvement.
- Conduct food process audits against standards and identify non-conformities and recommendations for improvement.
- Measure environmental conditions throughout the food manufacturing process and escalate non-conformities that could impact food safety and product quality.
- Evaluate raw materials against agreed parameters and report non-conformities.
- Measure and evaluate adherence to quality processing systems and standards.
- Identify and communicate products and process issues and make recommendations for corrective action.
- Oversee the implementation of corrective action to address product and process issues.
- Carry out internal audits and participate in external audits.
- Investigate and resolve problems, including customer complaints or quality issues.
- Implement and maintain risk management systems (for example, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).
- Review and maintain technical procedures for food businesses.
- Use a range of IT systems to analyse and interpret data to identify trends and drive Continuous Improvement (CI).
- Provide and interpret management data and information (reports and presentations).
- Conduct sensory evaluation activities.
- Contribute to Continuous Improvement (CI).
- Develop and maintain effective relationships with customers, suppliers and colleagues.
- Use problem solving techniques and investigation methods, including root cause analysis.
- Influence and negotiate with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using technical language and methods appropriate to the audience.
- Check raw materials, packaging and finished product quality against legislative requirements and specification.
- Monitor and review manufacturing standards and parameters.
- Support trials on new and existing products.
- Investigate product non-conformance and recommend corrective action.
Training schedule
- You will complete a Level 3 Food Technologist qualification
- This will be complemented by internal training delivered by your site as well as team building and soft skills training
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
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
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
About this employer
Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we’re one of the UK’s leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better.
As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we’re proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US. Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn.
Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop.
After this apprenticeship
- At the end of your programme, if you have successfully completed your apprenticeship and achieved the performance targets, we have set for you, you are guaranteed a role with us
- Future career aspirations could include Senior Process Technologist, Quality Manager and Technical Manager to name a few
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000014832.
Apply now
Closes in 17 days (Tuesday 3 March 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.