Training Apprentice Butchers

[Deerkeeper2]

Just had an incredibly rewarding day delivering a training session to a great group of Apprentice Butchers at Plumpton College. Supported by the High Weald National Landscape, we covered UK deer species, their management and, of course, lots about venison in the morning then we moved to the fantastic cutting room facility at the college to skin some fallow provided by Mark Smith and his team. Really inspired by how good the Apprentices were; they did themselves, the College and their Tutor Henry proud. As an industry, this is what we need to be doing more of not going around in circles in our own echo chamber.

 

[sauer]

Good to hear but bottom line ...how many of these young folks will stay in the trade.?
All I hope

A trade in it's own right but waaaay below par in terms of living wage and when compared to other trades its long way behind

Butchers closing ...high street full of vape shops and Turkish barbers and majority of Joe public look at theor meat not by quality but by the cost ....

Hopefully a trend those young folks can help halt or even turn around


Paul

 

[VSS]

Fantastic!

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

I remember fondly in 1995/96 my apprenticeship, I was busting up sides of beef at 16.

Certainly now days carcasses are busted up at the slaughter house before being delivered as primal cuts, certainly back then it was a different way of doing things.

Fair play to those who want to enter a certainly dying trade

 

[Mike1979]

Cracking...more of these type of courses are needed

I did a butchery course with Chris Brooks and despite only butchering the odd fallow for home consumption, I really enjoyed it. Every days a school day

 

[8x57]

Brilliant nice to see - something that we are lacking in this country is properly trained butchers who know their trade. Plenty of meat hackers or so called "butchers" but very few skilled real butchers.

A bit surprised to see the dress of some in the photographs. Training colleges usually go ridiculously over the top regarding health and safety requirements.
For instance with bricklayng or plumbing courses you usually see trainees fully donned up in Hi-Viz surcoats, hard hats, safety shoes/boots, gloves and glasses and that's in an inside workshop.

 

[cookingfat]

Fantastic to see, not enough of that in the UK well done

 

[jb1]

I dont know what the annual income is now for a full time butcher, but it was never paid as a skilled job when i was in the trade, working 50+ hours a week (this time of the year up to 60)for just a few coppers over minimum wage and bloody hard graft. We had 1/4 of beef and whole lambs and pigs, plus sides of bacon to process. If they need to keep young lads in the trade today they must pay them a decent deserving wage, i did it for over 30 years, loved the job but needed to get out due to the wage.

 

[kieran222]

Unfortunately the increase in minimum wage will remove the incentive for a lot of people to get a skill/trade. Why go to all of that trouble when you can get paid nearly the same on min wage as some trades.