Caterer
Catering staff are part of a team who try to make sure that food and drink is nutritious, tasty and suitable for patients’ medical and cultural needs.
The work of catering staff
As well as catering for patients, hospital catering staff also provide food and drink for the thousands of staff and visitors who pass through the doors of the hospital every day. You may also be involved in general kitchen and restaurant duties, such as cleaning and serving.
Skills required
Chefs, head chefs and cooks need excellent cookery skills, an awareness of food hygiene and nutrition issues. You should also have good management and organisational skills.
Entry requirements
Catering assistants
You may not need any academic qualifications, although some employers may require qualifications in areas such as customer care or food hygiene.
A Catering and Hospitality qualification gained from a one or two-year full-time college course can provide a good grounding and be an advantage.
Head chefs, chefs, cooks and assistant cooks
Depending on the role, you will usually need City & Guilds certificates 7061/2/3 or a relevant NVQ – for example, in food preparation and catering.
It may be possible to join as an assistant chef or catering assistant and to get the necessary qualifications after further experience and training.
Assistant catering managers
You will usually need associate membership of the Institute of Hospitality. The Institute's Advanced Certificate is designed for supervisors and first line managers who hope to progress to more senior levels of hospitality management.
The Institute of Hospitality approves a number of centres across the UK to provide the certificate. You should contact the Institute for further details.
Catering managers
You will usually need a degree, a Higher National Diploma (HND) / BTEC / EDEXCEL or an equivalent Institute of Hospitality qualification.
Food hygiene is increasingly required, sometimes up to Institute of Environmental Health Officers (IEHO) Advanced level.
How to apply
You should apply directly to Trusts in response to job recruitment adverts in the local press and through Job Centres.
You should check the prospectus of your local college of further/ higher education for full details of available courses.