Catering Assistant

Role: Catering Assistant

Location: The Bedford Sixth Form

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: 20 hours per week – 36 weeks per year – Monday to Friday, 4 hours per day

Contract Type: Permanent – Term Time

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have theRight 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 and 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 & Catering Service - Assist with the preparation, cooking and presentation of food, serve customers courteously, support hospitality functions, and help deliver an efficient and high-quality catering service.
• Customer Service & Front-of-House Support - Create a welcoming environment for students, staff and visitors, maintain positive customer interactions, resolve issues professionally, and support promotional activities and sales initiatives.
• Stock Control & Operational Support - Assist with stock management, deliveries and storage, support hospitality orders, ensure financial transactions are processed in accordance with College procedures, and report any operational concerns appropriately.
• Kitchen Hygiene, Health & Safety - Maintain high standards of cleanliness and food hygiene, operate catering equipment safely, undertake cleaning duties, and ensure compliance with health and safety and food safety requirements.
• Professional Standards & Team Contribution - Work flexibly as part of the catering team, maintain high standards of punctuality, appearance and conduct, and actively promote safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and ongoing training and development.

About you:

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