Meat industry launches new apprenticeships

Difficulties in recruiting foreign labour have highlighted the urgent need to attract and train people in downstream sectors across the farming industry such as meat processing.

Butchery apprentice Cameron Chisholm

And a new programme to highlight over 750 potential vacancies in the butchery sector has been launched jointly by Skills Development Scotland and Quality Meat Scotland with the aim of securing the future of Scotland’s red meat industry by attracting new trainees into a skilled sector where the average age is currently over 60.

The programme also aims to remove outdated perceptions that the job is for men only – with females accounting for only 14 per cent of the workforce - by showcasing the diverse and accessible range of technical and business skills which range from the highly traditional through to the cutting-edge.

The quangos said that around 25 per cent of current vacancies were apprenticeship opportunities in the retail, processing and catering sector adding that the skills programme would underline issues ranging from selection of products and product development to learning about the supply chain, recipe development, pricing, profitability and customer service.

“Butchery is one of the oldest crafts in the world with genuine heritage and traditions, but we want to show that it can also provide an exciting, pioneering and highly skilled career for young people today,” said Gordon Newlands, brand development manager with QMS.

“At a time when we are all conscious of skilled labour shortages, butchery presents a huge array of excellent career opportunities,” he said, adding:

“During the various lockdowns over the last 18 months, many of us have rediscovered the joys of visiting our local butcher to get high quality meats. This project builds on this renewed interest to showcase the range of skills, knowledge and behaviours that can lead to rewarding careers in the butchery industry, not only in the UK but across the world.”

Gerry McBride, Strategic Relations Manager at Skills Development Scotland, said the projects had been designed to show young people just how much butchery had to offer as an exciting career choice with huge opportunities for progression.

“We strongly believe that butchery represents a field that is more than just a job, it is an innovative and evolving craft that can unlock a range of exciting careers.

McBride added that a modern apprenticeship in this field represented an opportunity to young people to be trained by industry experts, gain a nationally-recognised qualification and earn a real wage while they learned:

“Apprenticeships also offer a unique opportunity for employers, enabling them to recruit from a fresh pipeline of young talent. There are dozens of roles to suit everyone - from processing and catering butchery to the retail butchers we see on high streets across the country – all of which provide opportunities for stimulating successful and long-term careers.”

Openings for training opportunities and further details are available on the new careers website - butcherycareers.co.uk