Apprentice Chef

Summary

This is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills in a popular and expanding venue in Burslem. If you're looking to get hands on with the in a kitchen and learn from excellent mentors, this is the ideal apprenticeship to kick start your career.

Wage

£15,600 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

Hours

Exact hours to be confirmed. Evening/weekend work required to support with service and events.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 19 October 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

As part of the apprenticeship you will assist in the day-to-day running of the kitchen at a popular Burslem venue, prepping and cooking food through regular service and events.

This will include things such as:

• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield

Where you'll work

The Old Post Office
12 Wedgwood Street
Stoke-On-Trent
ST6 4JH

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

STOKE ON TRENT COLLEGE

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

What you'll learn

• 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

• Production Chef Level 2
• Training will take place one day per week at Stoke-on-Trent Colleges' Cauldon Campus (ST4 2DG)

More training information

Although day-release will take place at the College's Cauldon Campus, apprentices will also be able to utilise facilities at the College's Burslem Campus, around 10 minute walk away.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade Grade C/4 or above)
• Maths (grade Grade C/4 or above)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative