Break down carcasses and primal cuts, prepare retail or wholesale meat products and ensure safe handling and storage. Precision and knowledge of cuts and trimming are essential.
Debone, cut, trim and portion meat, prepare value-added products, package and label, maintain cold rooms and follow sanitation and HACCP procedures.
Cold, wet environments — butcher shops, supermarkets, processing plants and wholesale distribution centres. Strict hygiene and food-safety controls apply.
Standing for long shifts in cold rooms, repetitive cutting motions, lifting boxes and carcasses, and handling sharp knives and saws.
Knives, saws, band saws, grinders, slicers, scales, vacuum pack machines and refrigeration equipment. PPE and cut-resistant gloves required.
Good for people who like hands-on food production, working with tools and physical tasks, and who can maintain high sanitation standards.
Provincial apprenticeship where available or employer training; many start with on-the-job training and optional college programs in meat-cutting and food safety.
Learn knife skills, basic cuts, sanitation rules, safe operation of saws and grinders, and packaging/labeling standards.
Start as a meat-wrap clerk, apprentice under an experienced butcher, or complete short vocational programs that lead to employer placement.
Stable work tied to food supply, quick on-the-job skills gains, and opportunities in retail, wholesale or specialty meat businesses.
Work environment is cold and repetitive; risk of cuts and need for strict adherence to food safety standards. Weekend and early shifts common.
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