Catering apprentice
Wigan & Leigh College
Greater Manchester (WN1 1RS)
Closes in 15 days (Friday 23 October 2026)
Posted on 7 October 2026
Contents
Summary
You’ll get hands-on experience across food preparation, cooking, serving, customer service, tills, stock and kitchen activity. You’ll work alongside experienced colleagues who will help you develop your skills and understand the standards expected in a professional catering environment.
- Wage
-
£15,434 a year
- Training course
- Production chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Thursday 8.30am-5.00pm
Friday 8.30am-4.00pm.
Please note this position is term- time only, you will be paid for 38 weeks.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 2 November 2026
- Duration
-
1 year
- Positions available
-
1
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
- Help prepare, cook and serve hot and cold food.
- Support food service across refectories, hospitality, bookings and college events.
- Serve students, staff and visitors in a friendly and professional way.
- Operate the till and support basic cash handling.
- Help with stock ordering, replenishment and storage.
- Maintain food hygiene and temperature records.
- Keep kitchens, counters and preparation areas clean and organised.
- Follow health and safety and food hygiene procedures.
- Learn how to use catering equipment safely.
- Complete the learning and development required as part of your apprenticeship.
Where you'll work
PO Box 53
Parsons Walk
Wigan
Greater Manchester
WN1 1RS
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
WIGAN AND LEIGH COLLEGE
Training course
Production chef (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
- Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
- Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
- Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
- Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
- Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
- Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
- Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
- Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
- Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
- Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
- Use feedback to improve own performance.
- Prepare and close down an area for service.
- Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
- Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
- Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
- Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
- Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
- Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
- Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
- Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
- Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
- Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
- Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.
- Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
- Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
- Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
- Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
- Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
- Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
- Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
- Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
- Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
- Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
- Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
- Use feedback to improve own performance.
- Prepare and close down an area for service.
- Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
- Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
- Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
- Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
- Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
- Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
- Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
- Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
- Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
- Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
- Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.
Training schedule
The training will take place in the workplace
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 2)
- Maths (grade 2)
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
- Problem solving skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
If you’re offered the role, we’ll need to do some checks before you start, including verifying any qualifications, a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) and a medical questionnaire. We use Protocol National Ltd & E-Safeguarding Ltd, so they may contact you.
About this employer
As the college for technical excellence, we're committed to raising learning aspirations and helping our community thrive socially and economically. We offer exceptional teaching, support and guidance in academic, vocational, technical and apprenticeship programmes.
https://www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Medicash healthcare plan
- Occupational health support
- Confidential counselling
- Specsavers eye test vouchers
- A culture where people look out for each other
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
On completion of the apprenticeship you will be eligible to apply for any positions that become available.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
WIGAN AND LEIGH COLLEGE
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000057939.
Apply now
Closes in 15 days (Friday 23 October 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.