Butchery skills sharpened for future career

Jake Taare, second year apprentice butcher at Highlands Meats, Emerald, is sure that there is a bright future ahead for young people starting their career in a traditional butcher shop, in spite of some parts of the industry querying whether the days of the traditional butcher are numbered.

With an eye firmly on the future, Jake aspires to experience as much as he can within the meat-processing profession, while gaining a solid knowledge base about the wider industry through his apprenticeship.

One of the ways Jake has been able to broaden his horizons, was by attending the meat industry Meat Industry Training Advisory Council (MINTRAC) conference in Melbourne in 2015 with Rob Hall, Senior Meat Processing Instructor for Rural Training Queensland.

Jake, along with Rob, who manages Jake’s formal apprenticeship training, participated in the MINTRAC Masters and Apprentices competition at the national conference for the industry.

The competition involved an experienced butcher partnering up with an apprentice in a timed event, going head-to-head to prepare creative, value-added meat products from the same base cuts.

Teams were judged on their knife skills, presentation, hygiene, communication, display, innovation, service and profitability.

“Along with two other Queenslanders, we took on the rest of the Australian teams, and were only just pipped at the post by a highly experienced team from New South Wales,” rued Rob.

“Even though we didn’t come away with the win, it was a fantastic experience for Jake, and that’s the most important thing.”

While in Melbourne, Jake and Rob also toured meat markets, and visited other butcheries and specialist meat outlets. Jake said “It showed me many different types of meat retail outlets, and the different way other butchers do things.”

Multicultural Melbourne also gave Jake a glimpse into other prospects. “There are world-wide opportunities out there for butchery” he said.

Jake returned from the conference and began incorporating his ideas for value-added products at the store. Working with his employer, they set up a section of the display cabinet as ‘Jacob’s Corner’, where he displays specialty products he has prepared. For example, Saturday’s showcase might regularly have a range of pre-prepared menu items for customers to take home and cook for their Sunday breakfast.

“I’m doing my own costing and pricing, and getting the approval of my boss, and I’m gradually building a regular customer base who come in looking to see what I’ve prepared next.”

Now halfway through his Certificate III Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) Jake said of his experience “Rob has been an awesome trainer. He teaches me about the muscles and the cuts and has been showing me how to create value-added products, and how many options I can get out of a carcase.”

When asked what he wants to do next, Jake replied “Butchery is not a dying game, I want to share with other young people the opportunity it offers.

(Story submitted by Queensland Agricultural College)

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