Poultry technician - Level 3 - Apprenticeship Standard

Poultry technician - Level 3 - Apprenticeship Standard

The agriculture industry offers exciting and varied careers in the UK and abroad providing unique opportunities for young people to work in a technically advanced and innovative environment, producing one of the country’s most important products – food. Businesses within the industry range from small family farms through to large integrated organisations working across the food supply chain.

A Poultry Technician is responsible for the management and control of a complex poultry farming site or operational agriculture (hatchery) unit, including responsibility for the performance and results of their site, raising animals with optimal welfare and consideration for their needs throughout the different stages of life, compliance at all times with hygiene, safety and bird welfare legislation - and customer standards which go beyond legislative compliance, maintenance of the facility, management of the personnel of the site and all other visitors to site.

The nature of the process and the need for optimum growth in an exacting time window requires specific expertise and skills in poultry husbandry relevant to their stage in the poultry supply chain - egg production, rearing, breeding, hatching or growing - together with knowledge of the other stages of the process. These are permanent stages in the process and not seasonal roles. For this reason this standard is formed of a core and options. To complete the standard a Poultry Technician should complete the core elements and one option. This requirement is further strengthened by the nature of the work which normally means working without close supervision, meaning they must be entirely proficient and competent in the process.

The agriculture industry offers exciting and varied careers in the UK and abroad providing unique opportunities for young people to work in a technically advanced and innovative environment, producing one of the country’s most important products – food. Businesses within the industry range from small family farms through to large integrated organisations working across the food supply chain.

A Poultry Technician is responsible for the management and control of a complex poultry farming site or operational agriculture (hatchery) unit, including responsibility for the performance and results of their site, raising animals with optimal welfare and consideration for their needs throughout the different stages of life, compliance at all times with hygiene, safety and bird welfare legislation - and customer standards which go beyond legislative compliance, maintenance of the facility, management of the personnel of the site and all other visitors to site.

The nature of the process and the need for optimum growth in an exacting time window requires specific expertise and skills in poultry husbandry relevant to their stage in the poultry supply chain - egg production, rearing, breeding, hatching or growing - together with knowledge of the other stages of the process. These are permanent stages in the process and not seasonal roles. For this reason this standard is formed of a core and options. To complete the standard a Poultry Technician should complete the core elements and one option. This requirement is further strengthened by the nature of the work which normally means working without close supervision, meaning they must be entirely proficient and competent in the process.