Catering Apprentice Review

My job role involves helping with the day to day runnings of the kitchen, preparing ingredients for different meals throughout the week and baking different types of goods for the residents, as well as helping the head chef cook the food that will be served that day. I do also help to clean the kitchen, its equipment and anything else that needs doing throughout the week.

I have learnt many new skills during my apprenticship so far, including different cooking meathods depending on the meat/ingreidents used, a further knowledge of how each meal is prepared in full detail and how different diets have different needs that need to be catered towards. I have also expended my baking skills considerably by making varied cakes, pastries, biscuits and confectionaries.

I am enjoying my programme very much. It is giving me a higher knowledge in cookery and I am gaining the experiance I need to better myself in the future. I also enjoy the field I work in because although my job is not centered around the residents, I enjoy working with them and find being around them very rewarding.

Admittedly, my programme could have been better organised to begin with, as I was waiting for a few months to be actually signed on to the course with little communication as to what was happening about that. Now that I am signed on, my programme is running very smoothly and I have regular visits and contact with my assessor.

I feel as if I receive a good amount of support from my employer. If I have a problem or need that I need to disscuss, whether that be in private or not, I know that I will be listened to and they will try their best to support me in what I need.

I receive a huge amount of support with my course from my training provider, whether it be with cooking experiance or outside of the kitchen work. My head chef is very supportive, they will help with anything I need and will give me the time, should I need it, to catch up on any course related work.

The work I have to do for the qualification provides me with the knowledge I need to work in a kitchen appropriately. The work on kitchen safety, stock rotation and supplier tracking has helped me to fully understand how those things will be out into place from day to day.

From time to time, the kitchen staff host their own activities for the residents to attend and get involved with. We try to make them as hands on for them possible, like making bread or cakes or icing buns, something that they can eat themselves and see the result of their work when it's finished.

Yes

Babock have a big interest in getting their apprentices involved in doing as much as possible for their workplace and the customers they work with. In my case, there is a huge emphasis on resident activities which suit what they themselves would enjoy and get the most gratifying experiance out of.

Whatever you apply for, make sure you're going to enjoy doing that job daily. The training Babcock provides is great if you have an actual interest in the subject and are willing to work hard for you qualification. They also try as hard as possible to get you involved with your workplace and others similar to yours, so be ready to step out there.