Production chefs work in a range of settings producing food from mainly pre-prepared ingredients often in large volumes.
Could this be the person you need to grow your workforce? We will train and support your apprentice while they are in the workplace.
Key information
Key information about this apprenticeship programme, with the main details like the level, duration and industry/sector. Full details about this standard can be found on the Skills England website.
-
Level: 2 (Intermediate)
-
Duration: 15 months
-
Training location: Workplace
-
Mode of Attendance: Employer based
- Industry/sector: Catering and hospitality
-
Maximum funding available: £7,000.00
Apprenticeship overview
Working as part of a team in kitchen environments.
The key skills, knowledge, behaviours and duties that will be carried out by the apprentice as part of this apprenticeship.
Skills developed
- Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
- Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
- Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
- Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
- Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
- Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
- Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
- Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
- Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
- Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
- Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
- Use feedback to improve own performance.
- Prepare and close down an area for service.
- Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
- Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
- Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
- Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
- Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
- Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
- Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
- Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
- Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
- Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
- Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.
Further information
- Chef
- Junior chef
- Production chef
This occupation is found in a diverse range of organisations including high street and pub casual dining, the armed forces, schools, hospitals and care homes, work canteens, maritime, and more.
The broad purpose of this occupation is to work with centrally developed standardised recipes and menus, producing food using majority pre-prepared ingredients often in high volumes. In some key environments, a production chef cooks for people with special dietary requirements such as children in schools, elderly people in care homes, or people who are unwell or recovering from illness in hospitals.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with the kitchen team, a front of house team, suppliers, and, in some environments, customers. Production Chefs typically report to a senior production chef or a kitchen manager.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for producing dishes using majority pre-prepared ingredients, including some fresh eg salad and some frozen dishes eg lasagne. Production chefs work as part of a team in time-bound and often challenging kitchen environments. They apply highly methodical organisational skills, energy, accuracy, attention to detail and are mindful of the importance of sustainability and protecting the environment. They are responsible for following standard operating procedures and centrally agreed menus and specifications to produce food on time and often in bulk. They are responsible for following instructions and guidelines on hygiene, health and safety, food safety, and fire regulations. They must also observe equity, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing guidelines and sustainability best practice.
Occupational profile
Production chefs work as part of a team in time-bound and often challenging kitchen environments, for example; schools, hospitals, the Armed Forces, care homes and high street casual dining or pub kitchens. They report to the Senior Production chef or appropriate line manager. Production chefs are likely to work with centrally developed standardised recipes and menus, producing food often in high volumes. They apply highly methodical organisational skills, energy, accuracy, attention to detail and are mindful of the importance of sustainability and protecting the environment.
Production chefs;
- maintain excellent standards of personal, food and kitchen hygiene
- ensure compliance to procedures, menu specifications and recipes.
- produce food meeting portion controls, and budgetary constraints
- adapting and produce dishes to meet special dietary, religious and allergenic requirements
- follow, complete and maintain production schedules, legislative and quality standard documentation
- use specialist kitchenequipment
- communicate internally and externally with customers and colleagues
- commit to personal development activities
| Entry | Entry requirements to be set by employers |
|---|---|
| Duration | The duration of this apprenticeship is a minimum of 12 months |
| English and maths | Apprentices without level 1 English and maths will need to achieve level 1 and take the test for level 2 English and maths prior to taking the end-point assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement the apprenticeships English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and British Sign Language qualifications are an alternative to English qualifications for whom this is their primary language. |
| Level | This apprenticeship standard is set at level 2 |
| Review date | After three years |
| Knowledge and Understanding (Know it) | Skills (Show it) | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitchen operations |
|
|
| Nutrition |
|
|
| Legal and governance |
|
|
| People |
|
|
| Business / Commercial |
|
|
|
Personal Development and performance |
|
|
Behaviours (live it)
- Lead by example working conscientiously and accurately at all times.
- Be diligent in safe and hygienic working practises.
- Take ownership of the impact of personal behaviours and communication by a consistent, professional approach.
- Advocate equality and respect working positively with colleagues, managers and customers.
- Actively promote self and the industry in a positive, professional manner.
- Challenge personal methods of working and actively implement improvements.
Hire an apprentice today!
Are you interested in this apprenticeship for your business or company? Get in touch with our dedicated Business Development Manager for this industry/sector to find out more. Alternatively, you can fill out our employer interest form below and we'll get back to you.
Hannah Rogers
Business Development Advisor Science, Creative & Professional
email hidden; JavaScript is required
The information submitted through this form will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Information provided for this apprenticeship programme is sourced from the Skills England formerly the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). For the information authored by Skills England, this was last modified on 1st April 2025.
