Butchery Apprentice
Howells of Tavistock
TAVISTOCK (PL19 0AL)
Closes in 25 days (Monday 30 November 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 4 November 2026
Contents
Summary
Howells of Tavistock are offering an exciting opportunity to join their team as a Butchery Apprentice. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive professional training in essential butchery skills in various areas of the Butchery department, in conjunction with learning skills through attendance at Duchy College Stoke Climsland.
- Wage
-
£16,016 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Butcher (level 2)
- Hours
-
Working week will be discussed at interview, but expect to be working four days a week and this will include working on Saturdays.
38 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
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Monday 11 January 2027
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- 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
Typical daily tasks will include, but not be limited to:
- Prepare and cut meat to customer and business specifications using safe butchery techniques.
- Assist with the preparation, packing, labelling, and display of meat products.
- Maintain high standards of food hygiene, cleanliness, and health and safety in the workplace.
- Use and care for butchery tools, knives, machinery, and equipment safely.
- Monitor stock levels, rotate stock, and help minimise waste.
- Serve customers professionally, offering product knowledge and excellent customer service.
- Receive, check, and store deliveries in line with food safety procedures.
- Work as part of the team to complete daily production and shop tasks.
Where you'll work
27-28 THE MARKET
TAVISTOCK
PL19 0AL
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
You will be working towards a Level 2 Butchery Apprenticeship standard.
You will be required to attend Duchy College Stoke Climsland on a weekly basis as part of the apprenticeship training.
You will receive support from an assessor and an Apprenticeship Advisor.
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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
Reliable travel arrangements do need to be considered to reach location.
About this employer
Howells of Tavistock are a family run business, established in 1962 by Paul and Jenny Howell. They supply many local restaurants, care homes and catering establishments. In addition to this, they run a thriving shop in Tavistock's town centre, supplying local customers and even some from further afield. We also operate a factory, making our own award winning sausages.
Company benefits
- 20 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Optional NEST pension scheme
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
This could be the route to long-term, full-time employment within our business, with a view to progressing to front of shop customer serving.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
CORNWALL COLLEGE
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000062593.
Apply now
Closes in 25 days (Monday 30 November 2026 at 11:59pm)