Nominations are now open for The Institute of Meat and Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Prize-giving and lunch, which takes place on Thursday 23rd February 2023, at Butchers Hall, London.

As many of the individual awards are given to apprentices the event provides an opportunity for talented apprentices to be recognised for their efforts. With 12 categories to choose from there’s plenty of opportunity for individuals and companies to win.

Categories as follows:

• Best New Apprentice
• Best Retail Butchery Apprentice
• Best Independent Retailer Meat Apprentice
• Best Multiple Retailer Butchery Apprentice
• Best Meat Processing Apprentice
• Best Abattoir Worker Apprentice
• Best Apprentice Showing Management
• Potential in a Manufacturing Environment
• Best Meat Apprentice Showing Retail Management Potential
• Lord Graham Endeavour Award
• Best Company Training Scheme
• Best Meat Training Provider of the Year
• Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year

Winners cash prizes

Winning apprentices take home a cheque for £250 and a framed certificate detailing their achievement. In addition, the Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year also receives a cheque for £500.

Institute of Meat membership

Winners are also awarded a one year honorary membership of the Institute of Meat.

Publicity for businesses

Professional photography and template press releases are available to all winners to enable employers to generate local publicity for their businesses.

How to nominate your apprentice

• Download a nomination form
• Enter online
• Criteria Details

For further information about the Prize-giving readers should email Sheryl Horne or call her on 01525 371641.

We are pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the prestigious Annual Prize-giving Luncheon and Awards, which will take place on Thursday 24th February 2022 at the Butchers’ Hall, London.

The annual prize-giving event has been running for over 25 years and has rewarded the achievement of over one thousand members of the meat industry since its inception.

As most of the individual awards are given to apprentices the prize-giving is the perfect opportunity for your talented apprentices to be recognised for their efforts. As well as being an inspiring experience and confidence boost for the apprentices themselves the awards can also generate valuable publicity for individual businesses. Professional photography and press releases are available to all winners to support this.

With 12 categories to choose from there’s plenty of opportunity for individuals and companies to win. Individual winners also take home a cheque for £250, a framed certificate and a year’s honorary membership of the Institute of Meat. In addition, the overall winner receives a cheque for £500. The categories next year include: Best Retail Butchery Apprentice, Best Independent Retailer Meat Apprentice, Best Multiple Retailer Butchery Apprentice and Best Meat Processing Apprentice. The final list of categories will be announced in due course.

Award winners from 2020 Prize-giving at the Butchers’ Hall, London

Commenting on the awards, Keith Fisher (F.Inst.M.), Chief Executive of the IoM and himself a fourth generation Master Butcher, said,

‘The prize-giving is a firm fixture in the meat and poultry industry calendar, and the positive feedback from the winners is always a delight to hear. We are committed to inspiring young people to join our industry and rewarding excellence where we see it.’

For nominations criteria and to nominate an apprentice or, for more information, please email Sheryl Horne  shorne@instituteofmeat.org

The deadline for nominations is 31^st December 2021.

Download the nomination and criteria forms here:

• Institute of Meat Nominations criteria for centres 2022
• Institute of Meat Awards Candidates Nomination Form 2022

A new report issued by think tank, The Social Market Foundation (SNF), whilst welcome, only highlights something The Institute of Meat have been doing for a decade, according to their Chief Executive, Keith Fisher.

‘Making Apprenticeships Work’ published by SNF on 27^th March asserts that more needs to be done to raise the status of technical and vocational occupations.  It suggests that lessons can be learned from the Middle Ages when the titles such as ‘Master Craftsman’ was first introduced. 

The report added that higher apprenticeships should be recognised as demanding qualifications that can lead to senior jobs and higher wages.  New titles for holders could add status to apprenticeships, and eventually act as ‘signals’ to candidates and employers.

The Institute of Meat’s Chairman, Bill Jermey, first introduced the title of ‘Institute of Meat Accredited Master Butcher’ back in 2009 to recognise the skills, knowledge and experience of those butchers at the top of their profession. To qualify applicants must submit evidence of their suitability for the title, which is then reviewed firstly by an IoM accredited moderator. The title is only awarded after careful consideration of the moderator’s recommendation. It is a highly prized title in the meat industry, held by only 45 of the country’s most accomplished butchers. IoM accredited Master Butchers are entitled to use the post nominals MB.Inst.M to signify their status.

Titles are not just for the most experienced butchers though. Recognising the quality of the Butcher Standard Apprenticeship the IoM now awards butchery apprentices the title of Apprentice Member, Institute of Meat – App.M.Inst. Apprentices successfully completing their apprenticeship can then apply to become full members, with the title M.Inst.M, to signify their level of qualification. The final step between apprentice and master butcher is ‘Graduate’, G.M.Inst.M, which butchers completing the Advanced Butcher Apprenticeship are entitled to apply for. 

Commenting on the report, Fisher said,

“We welcome the SNF’s suggestions. The new butchery apprentices are deserving members of the title, Apprentice Member, Institute of Meat. The apprenticeship is demanding and requires their full commitment. Those that succeed may become the Institute of Meat Master Butchers (MB.Inst.M) of the future.” 

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The Institute of Meat was formed in 1946 and is a recognised professional body in the meat industry. Its core purposes are to promote high standards of training and career development and provide a forum for meat industry professionals to connect and share ideas and expertise.