Production Chef Apprentice
ARAMARK DEFENCE SERVICES LIMITED
York (YO32 5SB)
Closes in 29 days (Saturday 21 November 2026)
Posted on 22 October 2026
Contents
Summary
Join Aramark UK as a Production Chef Apprentice and take your culinary skills to the next level in a supportive, high-volume kitchen environment. You will prepare and cook fresh meals for daily dining and fine-dining functions, gain hands-on kitchen operational experience, and work towards a recognised Level 2 qualification with HIT Training
- Wage
-
£26,436.80 a year
- Training course
- Production chef (level 2)
- Hours
-
40 hours per week, worked on a shift pattern including early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Friday 4 December 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
- Prepare and cook fresh meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner services with minimal wastage.
- Follow established recipe cards to maintain consistency, food quality, and portion control.
- Deliver fine dining food and present dishes for special functions and hospitality events.
- Support and coach new kitchen team members on standard operating procedures.
- Assist with daily stock checks, food ordering, and maintaining accurate kitchen records.
- Monitor food storage temperatures and complete all required due diligence paperwork.
- Adhere strictly to food hygiene, health and safety, and environmental health standards.
- Carry out daily and weekly kitchen deep cleaning and maintenance tasks.
Where you'll work
Queen Elizabeth Barracks
Strensall Camp
York
YO32 5SB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD
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
Training will take place on-site at the workplace.
Requirements
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
- Must have lived in the UK for at least the past 3 years
- Must be able to pass security vetting and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
About this employer
At Aramark, we create memorable food experiences where people work, learn and play by channelling a collective passion for food and service.
We’re a leading food service partner working with organisations across a range of market sectors in the UK. We know that great food is important to everybody and at Aramark our teams share a passion for hospitality, delivering great things for our people, partners and communities.
https://www.aramark.co.uk/home (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Free on-site parking and uniform.
- Discounted meals during shifts.
- Employee benefits app offering online GP access, supermarket savings, and leisure discounts.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Life assurance and pension contributions.
- Generous annual leave allowance with the option to purchase additional days.
- Comprehensive training, apprenticeships, and global career progression opportunities across Aramark services.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Successful completion of this Level 2 Production Chef Apprenticeship opens up clear progression routes both on-site and across Aramark's global network:
- Kitchen Leadership Roles: Move directly into senior kitchen positions such as Senior Chef, Station Chef, or Kitchen Team Leader, taking on higher responsibility for menu planning, shift management, and kitchen operations.
- Further Apprenticeships & Qualifications: Progress onto higher-level qualifications, such as a Level 3 Senior Production Chef or Level 3 Hospitality Supervisor apprenticeship.
- Sector Mobility & Worldwide Opportunities: Transition into specialised sectors across Aramark's business (including corporate dining, education, healthcare, and sports/leisure venues) with long-term opportunities for international placement and operational management roles.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000060449.
Apply now
Closes in 29 days (Saturday 21 November 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.