Catering Assistant

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Between £25,467 and £26,499 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications

Location: Kettering

Role: Catering Assistant

Location: Tresham College - Kettering Campus

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £25,467 and £26,499 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: 26 hours per week - 36 weeks per year - Working pattern is:

• Mondays and Wednesdays - 09.30 to 14.30
• Tuesdays and Thursdays - 14.00 to 20.00
• Friday - 09.30 to 13.30

Contract Type: Permanent - Term Time / Part Time

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Catering Assistant to join our Catering and Hospitality 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 preparing and cooking food, set up and clear service counters, serve meals and beverages courteously, and support special catering functions and hospitality orders.
• Kitchen Hygiene & Safety - Wash utensils and equipment, clean kitchen and dining areas (including deep cleans), operate catering equipment safely, and maintain high standards of food hygiene and safe working practices.
• Stock, Deliveries & Financial Procedures - Support stock taking, deliveries and storage; follow financial regulations; handle transactions appropriately; and report any suspicious activity immediately.
• Customer Service & College Representation - Provide a welcoming, professional service to customers and visitors, resolve complaints promptly, support promotional activities, and maintain punctuality, dress standards and personal hygiene.
• Flexibility, Compliance & Team Support - Support colleagues during busy periods or staff shortages, uphold safeguarding, EDI and H&S responsibilities, attend required training, and complete any additional duties set by management.

About you:

• Food Safety & Catering Knowledge - Understanding of food preparation, basic cooking skills, kitchen cleanliness standards, and Health & Safety requirements within a catering environment.
• Customer Service & Payment Handling - Experience in customer care and confident use of POS and PDQ machines for taking payments.
• Practical Skills & Workload Management - Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, multitask effectively, follow instructions accurately and perform frequent lifting tasks as part of daily duties.
• Teamwork, Attitude & Flexibility - Strong team player with drive, initiative and enthusiasm, flexible with working hours and able to adjust shifts to meet service demands.
• Digital Skills & Continuous Development - Competent IT user (Word, Excel, Outlook) with a proactive attitude towards updating skills and ongoing professional development.

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 along side 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.