Catering Assistant

The Bedford College Group; Biggleswade; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 28,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

People’s pension

Retail and Leisure Discounts

Professional development opportunities

Access to college courses

Job summary

The Bedford College Group is seeking a Catering Assistant to join our Leisure, Catering & Events Services team at Shuttleworth College – Old Warden Campus. You will help with food preparation and service, while delivering friendly customer service to students and staff.

You’ll maintain high kitchen hygiene, assist with stock control and enable smooth operations, supporting promotions, events and daily dining services.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering excellent customer care and handling payments using POS and PDQ systems.
• Knowledge of food preparation and basic cooking techniques.
• Strong understanding of health and safety in a catering environment.
• Ability to work well in a team, follow instructions, and use IT for day-to-day tasks.
• Initiative, resilience and ability to multitask in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Assist with food preparation and serving, operate catering equipment safely and support events.
• Deliver professional customer service to students, staff and visitors.
• Maintain kitchen hygiene and safe working practices in line with regulations.
• Support stock management, deliveries and stock taking; assist with transactions as needed.
• Contribute to safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion and continuous development.

Skills

Customer service

Cash handling

Catering operations

Food preparation

Communication

Teamwork

IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Role: Catering Assistant

Location: Shuttleworth College – Old Warden Campus

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £26,510 and £28,482 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 25 hours per week – 36 weeks per year

Contract Type: Permanent – Term Time

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Catering Assistant to join our Leisure, Catering & Events Services department at The Bedford College Group.

As a Catering Assistant, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Food Preparation & Service - Assist with food preparation and cooking, operate catering equipment safely, set up and clear service areas, serve food and beverages professionally, and support hospitality events and special catering functions.
• Customer Service & Hospitality Support - Deliver excellent customer service to students, staff and visitors, create a welcoming environment, resolve customer queries and complaints professionally, and contribute to promotions, events and sales initiatives.
• Kitchen Hygiene, Safety & Compliance - Maintain high standards of cleanliness, food hygiene and safe working practices across kitchen and dining areas, ensuring compliance with health and safety procedures and catering regulations.
• Stock Control & Operational Administration - Support stock management activities including deliveries, storage and stock taking, assist with financial transactions in line with College procedures, and report any operational concerns or incidents appropriately.
• Professional Standards & Team Contribution - Work flexibly to support service delivery, maintain high standards of personal presentation and professionalism, contribute positively to the team, and promote safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and continuous professional development.

About you:

• Customer Service & Cash Handling - Experienced in delivering excellent customer care and processing payments using POS and PDQ systems, with the ability to provide a professional, efficient and welcoming service to customers.
• Catering Operations & Food Preparation - Knowledge of food preparation and basic cooking techniques, with experience supporting catering operations and maintaining high standards of food quality and service.
• Health, Safety & Food Hygiene - Strong understanding of health and safety procedures within a catering environment, including maintaining excellent standards of kitchen cleanliness, hygiene and safe working practices.
• Communication, Teamwork & IT Skills - Able to work effectively as part of a team, follow instructions accurately, communicate positively with colleagues and customers, and utilise Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook for day-to-day tasks.
• Flexibility, Resilience & Personal Effectiveness - Demonstrates initiative, enthusiasm and a proactive approach to work, with the ability to multitask, work effectively in a fast-paced environment, undertake manual handling tasks, adapt working hours to meet service demands, and continually develop skills and knowledge.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: TBC

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.