Apprentice Baker & Confectioner

BIRDS (DERBY) LIMITED

Derby (DE24 8GN)

Closes in 11 days (Tuesday 25 August 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 12 August 2026

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Summary

Develop bakery skills including weighing and preparing ingredients, bread mixing, fermentation, and proving. Gain hands-on experience operating ovens to ensure consistent, high‑quality bread and rolls. The role also includes training in creaming, piping, coating techniques, developing chocolate skills alongside Chocolatiers.

Wage

£19,094.40 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Baker (level 2)
Hours
Working days: Monday to Friday. Working hours: 6.00am to 2.30pm. Time allocated for lunch: 30-minutes.

40 hours a week

Start date

Monday 14 September 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

During your apprenticeship, you'll dive into the full bakery process, learning skills such as:

  • Weighing and preparing ingredients
  • Bread mixing, fermentation, and proving

You'll also gain experience operating our ovens, ensuring every batch of bread and rolls meets our high-quality standards.

Our confectionery team will teach you:

  • Creaming, piping, and coating
  • Chocolate skills, working with our Chocolatiers

And finally, you’ll also learn how to produce our savoury products. 

Where you'll work

Ascot Drive
Derby
DE24 8GN

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

DCG

Training course

Baker (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Select, prepare/set-up and use equipment and machinery.
  • Clean and check tools and equipment.
  • Monitor materials/stock levels and controls for example, first in first out, temperature and environment.
  • Receive and store materials/stock from external suppliers and/or internal stores.
  • Store finished goods.
  • Package and label bakery products for example, allergens.
  • Comply with health & safety, food safety, environmental procedures, PPE, hygiene and method statements.
  • Clean and tidy work area. Dispose of waste and recycle.
  • Communicate verbally for example, with colleagues, suppliers and customers.
  • Record information - paper based or electronic.
  • Identify bakery product problems/faults and underlying causes.
  • Read and interpret information for example, specification, recipe and production plan.
  • Plan bakery tasks.
  • Prepare for bakery tasks. Obtain materials.
  • Prepare ingredients.
  • Weigh or check weight of ingredients/products.
  • Mix ingredients.
  • Deposit, scale or cut/divide mixture.
  • Mould products.
  • Monitor prove.
  • Pre-bake and/or post-bake dressing of product.
  • Operate ovens.
  • Craft baker. Scale up/down a recipe using percentages.
  • Craft baker. Prepare and apply fillings/coatings.
  • Plant baker. Follow product changeover procedures.
  • Plant baker. Check product specifications throughout the key process steps; identify and rectify or report production issues.
  • Retail baker. Serve customers for example, determine customer’s needs, provide information, offer options and match bakery products to customers’ needs. Sell to customers for example, promote complementary items, promotional offers or seasonal products.
  • Retail baker. Display and replenish bakery products.
  • Select, prepare/set-up and use equipment and machinery.
  • Clean and check tools and equipment.
  • Monitor materials/stock levels and controls for example, first in first out, temperature and environment.
  • Receive and store materials/stock from external suppliers and/or internal stores.
  • Store finished goods.
  • Package and label bakery products for example, allergens.
  • Comply with health & safety, food safety, environmental procedures, PPE, hygiene and method statements.
  • Clean and tidy work area. Dispose of waste and recycle.
  • Communicate verbally for example, with colleagues, suppliers and customers.
  • Record information - paper based or electronic.
  • Identify bakery product problems/faults and underlying causes.

Training schedule

Baker Level 2.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade C/4 or above or equivalent)
  • Maths (grade 4/C or above or equivalent)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Number skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Physical fitness

Other requirements

We require someone who is inquisitive, enthusiastic, has a positive outlook, is prepared to work hard and willing to learn. We also require someone who is open to embracing the opportunities that we provide.

Once the Apprenticeship is completed, the start time will be 5.00am, and in the future there may be a requirement to work other shifts, such as nights.

Candidates must understand that there will be a physical element to the role. 

If we are interested in taking your application further, you will receive an email from a derby college email address lauren.stapleton@derby-college.ac.uk. Please make sure that you check your inbox as well as your spam/junk folders, so you do not miss out on the opportunity to apply.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

About this employer

Birds has been established since 1919, and is an East Midlands family-owned Baker, Butcher and Chocolatier, known for our high-quality products.

Birds has over 700 employees, over 60 shops throughout the East Midlands and 1 bakery in Derby where all our products are made.

https://birdsbakery.com/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

We are looking for candidates who view this role as a long-term opportunity in their career and who show us that they have the potential to be the Supervisors or Managers of the future.

As a company, we have a culture of developing internal talent, and so the ideal candidate will have the drive, ambition, and capability to continue their learning past this apprenticeship. 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

DCG

Lauren Stapleton

lauren.stapleton@derby-college.ac.uk

01332387420

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000047816.

Apply now

Closes in 11 days (Tuesday 25 August 2026 at 11:59pm)