Education and Training Apprentice Butchers or Meat Cutters must first be hired by a company that has signed an agreement with the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. This training is supplemented with a minimum of 144 hours each year of related classroom training. Standards relating to both job performance and classroom work must be met before journey-level status will be granted. Most employers prefer apprentices who have completed high school. Helpful high school courses include mathematics and any shop courses that develop skill in the use of hand and power tools.
Some firms give an arithmetic test to applicants.
In general, apprentices must be at least 18 years old. Butchers and Meat Cutters who begin work as trainees in independent shops can gain necessary skills. Ex-military cooks and butchers, adapting to civilian standards, may shorten their civilian apprenticeship periods. Personal characteristics considered desirable to retailers include willingness and ability to learn, a sense of responsibility, and a good sales personality. Direct application to employers remains one of the most effective job search methods, and the most common way to enter this occupation is through the formal apprenticeship program operated by employers.