Craft Assistant

Middlesbrough College Group; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 7,000 - 8,000; Part time

Job summary

An educational institution in Tees Valley is looking for a proactive Craft Assistant to support their Catering department. This part-time, permanent role involves ensuring kitchens are prepared for classes, managing supplies, and maintaining inventories. Candidates should possess a Grade C or above in Maths and English and be willing to pursue a First Aid Certificate. The position offers a competitive salary and a range of employee benefits.

Benefits

Health & Wellness – Subsidised health scheme

Free gym membership

Employee Assistance Programme

Personal Development opportunities

Discounted gift cards

Cycle to Work scheme

Qualifications

• Must have Grade C or above in Maths and English.
• Commitment to undertake mandatory training.
• Willingness to achieve a First Aid Certificate.

Responsibilities

• Provide adequate supplies to practice classes.
• Ensure kitchens are prepared for teaching sessions.
• Maintain and update laundry item inventories.
• Handle food supplies for practical classes.
• Complete cleaning duties as per instructions.
• Report any necessary replacements of materials.

Skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Ability to report deficiencies

Education

Grade C or above in Maths and English

First Aid Certificate (within an agreed timescale)

Food Hygiene Certificate (Desirable)

Manual Handling Certificate (Desirable)

Job description

Job Title: Craft Assistant

Location: Middlesbrough College Main Campus, TS2 1AD

Department: Service Industries

Reporting to: Associate Director Quality

Salary: £7,002 - £7,322 (per annum) (actual salary)

Annual Leave: 30 days per annum plus bank holidays (pro rata)

Contractual hours: 11 hours per week

Basis: Part time, Permanent

Pension: NEST Pension

Join Our Team

We are seeking a proactive Craft Assistant to support our Catering department. In this role, you will ensure kitchens are fully prepared for teaching sessions, provide adequate supplies for practical classes, and manage resources and equipment from dispensary and stores. Responsibilities include maintaining accurate laundry inventories with regular stock checks, reporting any deficiencies, and handling food supplies by collecting and returning items to the Central Food Store as required. This position requires excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to ensure smooth operations across all catering activities.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Provide adequate supplies to all practice classes.
• Ensure kitchens are prepared for teaching as per lecturers request prior to lesson, providing resources and equipment from dispensary/stores, where applicable.
• Maintain an inventory of laundry items, which will be kept up to date by regular checks and relevant paperwork completed daily. At least once each term a major stock check will take place. Any deficiencies will be reported to the Associate Director of Programme as they occur.
• All food required for the kitchen will be brought from the Central Food Store as required at the beginning of each session by the Craft Assistant. Food not required at the end of the teaching session will be returned to stores.
• Ensure jobs are completed as directed by the supervisor from the Key Performance Index, which includes (but are not limited) to undertaking effective cleaning duties of salons and kitchens as required to maintain a high standard of cleanliness, undertaking deep cleanse/degrease of equipment in kitchens as required.
• Report to supervisor any cleaning materials and light equipment that requires replacement as necessary.
• Work in compliance with risk assessments, safe operating procedures and the HACCP system, which requires the recording of temperatures, etc.

What We’re Looking For

We seek candidates who:

• Grade C or above in Maths and English (or equivalent).
• To hold or be willing to work towards a First Aid Certificate within an agreed timescale.
• A commitment to undertake any mandatory training relevant to the role.
• Food Hygiene Certificate - Desirable.
• Manual Handling Certificate - Desirable.

What’s in it for you

The college offers an excellent benefits package which includes:

• Health & Wellness – Subsidised health scheme, free gym membership, and 24/7 counselling for you and your family.
• Family-Friendly Policies – We offer family-friendly policies, flexible hours, and support for all of life’s big moments.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – Confidential support for you and your family, including counselling, legal and financial advice, and wellbeing resources.
• Personal Development – Extensive training, mentoring, and career progression opportunities.
• College Extras – Save money, feel great, and go green with:
• Up to 15% cashback at top retailers & restaurants.
• Discounted gift cards for big brands.
• Home & Tech upgrades via salary sacrifice.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Coming soon: EV Leasing.
• Pension Schemes – Teachers’, LGPS & NEST.
• Discounted car parking on site.

To learn more about working at Middlesbrough College, please visit ourWork For Uspage.

For further details and to discuss the role in more detail, please contact Sophie Beesley, Associate Director Quality, in Services industries on [e-mail].

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we can appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closing date. We therefore encourage applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible.

SAFEGUARDING

Middlesbrough College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students, including children, young people, and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff to share this commitment.

This role involves regulated activity and direct contact with children and young people. The successful candidate will be expected to uphold the highest standards of safeguarding practice.

We follow Safer Recruitment practices in line with the statutory guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education. All successful applicants will be required to complete mandatory pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, an online search, and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All convictions, cautions, and bind-overs, including those regarded as ‘spent’, must be declared, subject to the DBS filtering rules.

It is a criminal offence to apply for this post if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity with children.

Middlesbrough College is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Holiday Update

Our College will close for the festive break on Friday 19 December 2025 and reopen on Monday 5 January 2026. If you’ve applied for a role, thank you! We’ll review applications and get back to you in January.

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

Please view the job description here - Job Description