Go ahead given to new Abattoir Trailblazer Apprenticeship

A Level 2 standard for abattoir workers in the red meat sector has been given the go ahead for development by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The new apprenticeship is being developed by an employers group, in conjunction with skills development charity, The Food and Drink Training and Education Council (ftc), which helped bring the Level 2 Butchery Standard to fruition earlier this year.

The employer group is represented by senior figures within 13 of the UK’s abattoir and meat processing companies and will be headed by ABP senior policy advisor, Richard Dilworth.The abattoir industry is strictly regulated and the apprenticeship will be designed to support its workforce in their responsibilities to protect public health, their own health and safety and maintain legal standards for the health and welfare of animals.It will focus on developing the core knowledge, skills and behaviours needed in the sector and will cover core areas, including: Animal Welfare, Food Safety, Flaying/Hair Removal, Evisceration and SRM (specified risk material) removal.In addition it will be underpinned by the requirement for apprentices to achieve the Level 2 WATOK Certificate, an accredited and recognised qualification.The abattoir industry makes a net contribution to the UK economy of £1.67 billion and currently employs around 6,000 workers, two thirds of which are over the age of 35 and many recruited from overseas. It is hope the standard will help address both issues.

“Having a dedicated apprenticeship, supported by an internationally recognised qualification will appeal to young people and employers alike, and as such encourage more youngsters into the industry and more employers to recruit locally,” Dilworth said.Meat industry member organisations, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) and the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders (NFMFT), will be on hand to provide guidance on the development of the standard, which has also received financial support from the Worshipful Company of Butchers and is being endorsed by The Institute of Meat.Commenting of the industry support, Bill Jermey, CEO of ftc, said: “Developing a standard is one thing. Making it industry practice is quite another. We are fortunate though in the meat industry to have such experienced and active trade bodies, and we’ll be counting on their support in helping us champion this step-change in skills training amongst their members.”

This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.