Qualifications
RMITO has developed a range of qualifications for people within the retail meat industry. Most trainee butchers in a retail butchery work towards one of the level 4 National Certificates.
National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Advanced) – Level 4
This certificate covers all the skills required of a modern meat retail butcher. The compulsory unit standards recognise the core skills and knowledge required by trainees in customer-facing roles within a retail butchery. This covers the skills needed to retail meat products, including producing trimmed, sliced, sawn, minced & rolled meat cuts. You will also learn how to produce trays of wrapped and labelled meat cuts suitable for display. It also looks at methods for adding value to meat for retail sale, the nutritional values, cooking and serving suggestions for meat products, and the purpose and application of legislation governing the retail meat trade. Hygiene, food safety, knife handling and customer service skills are also provided. This qualification will take around 3 years to complete for most trainees.
Click here if you want a copy of the training agreement for the National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Advanced) – Level 4.
National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Advanced) with Strand in Curing, Smoking and Smallgoods Manufacture – Level 4
Curing of meat is undertaken by either putting meat into a brine solution or treating it with one of the smoking methods. You will learn how to make ham, corned beef, and other types of meat products. Making sausages is also a key skill for butchers manufacturing smallgoods products. You will gain these skills in addition to those covered in the National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Advanced), described above. The level 4 qualifications take around 3 years to complete. There is also a level 2 national certificates that you can train towards as a starting step to being a level 4 qualified butcher. This qualification will take around 3 to 3&1/2 years to complete for most trainees.
Click here if you want a copy of the training agreement for the National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Advanced) with Strand in Curing, Smoking and Smallgoods Manufacture – Level 4.
National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Introductory) – Level 2
The introductory qualification teaches OSH requirements, food safety, knife handling and customer service skills. It also provides a basic knowledge of meat cuts and stock control, and wrapping and labelling meat trays in compliance with the Food Regulations. It’s a good start to the Level 4 (Advanced) qualification. The unit standards you complete here are carried through into the level 4 national qualification, so you don’t have to repeat them. This level 2 qualification will take around 1 year to complete for most trainees.
Click here if you want a copy of the training agreement for the National Certificate in Meat Retail Butchery (Introductory) – Level 2.