Catering Apprentice

Application Deadline: 2 October 2026

Department: Catering Services

Employment Type: Term Time

Location: Wigan & Leigh College

Compensation: £15,434 / year

Description

Catering Apprentice

37 hours per week | 38 Weeks per Year | Apprentice pay

Learn the skills. Support the service. Build your future in catering.

About this job

A career in catering starts with learning how a good service works.

Food needs to be prepared safely. Counters need to be ready. Customers need a friendly welcome. Stock needs to be organised and kitchens need to stay clean, safe and well run.

As our Catering Apprentice, you’ll learn all of that while working as part of our Catering and Hospitality team.

You’ll get hands-on experience across food preparation, cooking, serving, customer service, tills, stock and kitchen activity. You’ll work alongside experienced colleagues who will help you develop your skills and understand the standards expected in a professional catering environment.

You don’t need years of experience. What matters is that you’re reliable, willing to learn and interested in catering and hospitality.

What you’ll do

Help prepare, cook and serve hot and cold food.
Support food service across refectories, hospitality, bookings and college events.
Serve students, staff and visitors in a friendly and professional way.
Operate the till and support basic cash handling.
Help with stock ordering, replenishment and storage.
Maintain food hygiene and temperature records.
Keep kitchens, counters and preparation areas clean and organised.
Follow health and safety and food hygiene procedures.
Learn how to use catering equipment safely.
Complete the learning and development required as part of your apprenticeship.

What you’ll bring

An interest in catering, hospitality or food service.
Good communication skills.
Basic numeracy and confidence handling money.
A willingness to learn and take feedback.
The ability to work well as part of a team.
A reliable and punctual approach.
A professional attitude to work and presentation.
Some knowledge of catering, kitchens or food hygiene would be helpful, but isn’t essential.

What you’re like

Reliable. You turn up, get involved and follow things through.
Willing to learn. You want to build practical catering skills.
Team-minded. You support colleagues and work well with others.
Customer-focused. You want people to have a good experience.
Practical. You enjoy hands-on work and learning by doing.
Organised. You keep your area tidy and follow instructions carefully.
Positive. You bring a helpful attitude to the team.
Professional. You understand that hygiene, presentation and good behaviour matter.

Essentials

You’re committed to safeguarding and inclusion.
You can work across college sites when required.
You’re willing to complete the learning and training required as part of your apprenticeship.
You’re flexible and happy to support events and busy service periods.
You’ll follow college food hygiene, health and safety and other workplace procedures.

Why work with us?

An apprenticeship is about learning while doing.

At Wigan & Leigh College, you’ll be part of a busy Catering and Hospitality team serving students, staff and visitors across the college. You’ll build practical skills, learn how a professional service operates and gain experience that can help you progress in catering or hospitality.

You’ll have experienced colleagues around you, opportunities to learn different parts of the service and the chance to develop confidence as your skills grow.

Great people. Change lives.

Time to recharge

Annual leave entitlement in line with your apprenticeship and working pattern
Family-friendly leave policies

Wellbeing as well as work

24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
Medicash healthcare plan
Occupational health support
Confidential counselling
Specsavers eye test vouchers
A culture where people look out for each other

Financial peace of mind

Workplace pension where eligible
Salary sacrifice schemes where eligible
Local and national discount schemes

Clear progression routes

Structured apprenticeship learning and development
Practical experience across catering and hospitality
Opportunities to build confidence and broaden your skills
Potential progression into future catering roles

Wigan & Leigh College

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