Education · 1 of 4

The path

Mostly learned at the block. A voluntary apprenticeship or a short college certificate can speed it up.

1. 1

   High school

   Grade 12

   Grade 12 is usually asked for. A part-time job in a grocery meat department is the best head start.

2. 2

   Meat counter or cutting-room helper

   6 to 12 months

   Wrapping, stocking, cleaning, grinding. Then simple cuts under supervision.

3. 3

   Apprenticeship or college certificate (optional)

   1 to 2 years

   Ontario has a voluntary Retail Meat Cutter apprenticeship (trade code 245R). Saskatchewan has a voluntary Meat Cutter trade. BC certifies meat cutters through SkilledTradesBC. Some colleges run short meat-processing programs.

4. 4

   Full cutter

   2 to 3 years

   Breaking primals into retail cuts, boning, trimming, portioning, pricing, ordering. Several years to get fast and waste little.

5. 5

   Department manager or your own shop

   5 years and up

   Running the counter, ordering and staff, or opening a specialty butcher shop.