Apprenticeship – and art – key ingredients in butchery career success

Apprenticeships can be undertaken at any age, are an outlet for creative and practical skills, and offer the chance to gain world-class qualifications.

"As Scottish Apprenticeship Week (3-8 March) takes place this week Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) is highlighting the opportunities available for butchery apprenticeships, an option sometimes overlooked, says QMS chief executive Sarah Millar.

“Apprenticeships are often a forgotten path to build skills and gain world-class qualifications. They are also a great way to earn as you learn.

“The Scottish butchery sector is a creative, innovative place, providing brilliant service and being a cornerstone of communities. Butchery is a real craft, and an apprenticeship is an opportunity for people to develop skills and become an artisan at what they do.”

In Scotland, butchery apprenticeships for retail butchers are offered via Craft Skills Scotland, with a formal qualification pathway, explains Sarah. “Apprenticeships are open to anyone – at any age – and can be life changing. The sector is looking for new talent, and there are many people who could build a fantastic career by pursuing a butchery apprenticeship.”

Dundee butcher Hayley Glen is a key example. Now working at The Butcher The Baker in the city’s Annfield Road, she is a fully qualified butcher, having completed the Meat and Poultry Skills Butchery Pathway. This means she has completed SCQP Level 5 and Level 6 Meat and Poultry Skills, and now also holds the Craft Butcher Diploma, an internationally recognised qualification. The diploma, which is the highest qualification in the Scottish retail meat industry, is evidence that she has received top quality training.

Like many people, her career has taken a few interesting turns – but the art and creativity of being a butcher has always fascinated her.

“I left school and worked at a butchers as a counter assistant on the ready-to-eat side of things, but the shop layout meant I could watch the butchers working opposite – I was just mesmerised by their work,” she says. “I asked my boss if I could do it, and he signed me up for an apprenticeship.”

After taking maternity leave to have her daughter – now 10 – she returned to butchery and then subsequently moved on to do a degree in retail management. This led to joining a multiple grocery retail management programme and managing the in-store butchery counter, but a move away from this department saw Hayley decide it wasn’t for her. She explored a few different career opportunities before returning to butchery – starting by assisting one day when The Butcher The Baker was short staffed on the counter.

“I then came back to working full time on the butchery three years ago and decided to do my Level 6 qualification and then the diploma.

“I feel really empowered to have done it and it has given me a career. I really enjoy what I do – it doesn’t feel like work. As a mother, I want my daughter to see that women can thrive in any field, including those traditionally dominated by men.”

Hayley says the assistance available during her apprenticeship was very helpful. “The trainer comes into the shop to do it with you – there is lots of support.” Apprentices are also supported by QMS’s Scotch Butchers Club, who help support butchers across Scotland to promote the Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected pork brands in independent retail.

Signing up to do her apprenticeship felt like she was ‘joining the butchery family’, she says, and now that is going global. “I’ve just set up an Instagram account – @meathayley – and gained close to 1000 followers from across the world in its first month. It’s great to see what other butchers are doing and to try some of their ideas in the shop.”

As a creative person, Hayley says she uses her artistic flair every day, with her manager David Webster, a fourth-generation butcher, encouraging and supporting her to develop these skills. “He genuinely values my input into the shop. I love creating eye-catching displays and creations that highlight the natural beauty of meat. The role is a combination of skill and imagination, turning an everyday product into a showcase of our art.

“Having an artistic approach to butchery doesn’t just enrich my work – it’s a joy to have customers appreciating what they see. We have a diverse customer base, and every day is different. We spend time talking to customers about cuts, cooking techniques and sourcing meat responsibly – it is such a rewarding job when we gain customers’ trust, and they feel confident about their food choices.”

• Find out more about butchery apprenticeships and careers: https://butcherycareers.co.uk/
• Training is available through several providers, including Craft Skills Scotland, Polaris Learning, and Scottish Bakers, all offering pathways to help individuals start and grow their careers in butchery.