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Brewer Apprenticeship Standard

Guide To The Brewer Apprenticeship Standard
Do you have a genuine passion for beer? It might be special craft beers from independent microbreweries or it could be the more well known national beers. Whatever the case, whether you are enjoying a tipple at home or down the local pub, you want that beer to be of top quality. If you are interested in getting involved in beer production at various levels, then Brewery Apprenticeships are going to be ideal for you.

In the UK there are various breweries out there but many of them will tell you that they find difficulty in finding qualified people to do brewery jobs and keep the quality of some of Britain’s favourite tipples to a high standard. There are over 2000 breweries in the UK and they are looking for people like you to continue the nation’s tradition of creating top quality beers.

Doing trainee brewer jobs and completing the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard means you will be helping to bridge a skills gap in the UK and, quite possibly, work in your dream job at the same time. If you want to drink quality beer then you also know countless other people do, too. You can be part of a team of people preserving and also improving Britain’s brewing industry. And with over 140 different styles of beer currently in production, now is a great time to be doing Brewer Apprenticeships.

The Brewer Apprenticeship Standard has been drawn up by a group of brewers, some of whom are well known national companies whilst others are from smaller independent companies. All the brewers involved in the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard agreed on one thing - the continued production and development of high quality beer, whatever the brand. So you could be doing a Brewery Apprenticeship with a company that is a household name. Or you might find yourself doing more of a craft brewers Apprenticeship programme, working with just a few people in a microbrewery.

The advantage of doing an Apprenticeship is that you get to earn while you learn. So whilst you are doing the Brewery Apprenticeship, UK companies will be paying you a wage whilst you do hands on training in the workplace and also learn the theory behind brewing beers. The qualification you will receive at the end of your Brewer Apprenticeship will be nationally recognised so that you can remain with the same company or work in other areas and continue to develop your career.
How Does The Brewer Apprenticeship Work?
Depending on the size of the brewery where you will be doing brewery Apprentice jobs, you could be working independently some of the time or you could be part of a large team.

There are different aspects to brewer assistant jobs. Some larger companies will be exporting their beers abroad, for example, whilst other breweries may only be supplying local outlets such as pubs, restaurants and local independent sellers. Your experience during your time completing the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard will depend on the scale of production at the brewery you work at.

A larger brewery will have different departments where you will concentrate on particular aspects of brewery jobs. This could be working at different stages of production such as fermentation, the cold room or even packaging.

Doing the Brewery Apprenticeship at some breweries might also lead to doing technical brewer jobs such as being involved in the design of new brewing techniques and the creation of machinery and processes to support those new innovations. Other Brewery Apprenticeships might also take you out of the brewery itself and into the public so that you can take part in publicity and press releases for the promotion of any new products.

If you choose to do brewery jobs in a smaller or independent brewery, the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard will see you working across a few or all of these areas with more autonomy.

It is down to you to choose whether you want to specialise in particular types of brewery jobs, working for a larger company and reporting to more senior brewers or whether you want to work for a smaller set up and get involved in all aspects of the brewing process.
Brewery Apprenticeships - Qualifications And Pathways
If you choose to do the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard, what will be the end result?
  • The Brewer Apprenticeship Standard is a Level 4 qualification which is the equivalent of the completion of the first year of a degree.
  • Whilst doing brewer assistant jobs, completion of your Apprenticeship will take between 18 and 24 months.
  • If not already achieved, you will also need to achieve Level 2 Maths and English before completion of the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard. If sign language is your main language, a British Sign Language qualification is an alternative to the English qualification.
Who does the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard? It is popular with those of you who might be looking for a career change. Whilst Apprenticeships are often associated with young people such as school leavers, this Brewer Apprenticeship could prove popular with people from all walks of life who have an interest in the brewing industry.

If you are already working in a bar run by a large brewery and you are interested in brewery jobs rather than bar work, some brewery companies have systems in place where they may invest in you by moving you to their brewery to do the Brewer Apprenticeship.

Doing brewery jobs and the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard, you will learn about:
  • Weighing and mixing ingredients and the effects certain ingredients have on each other.
  • Taking quality and temperature readings so that the beer is produced according to particular standards.
  • Hygiene and cleaning around the brewery and its equipment.
  • How to use equipment safely.
  • Packaging beer into bottle, cans or kegs and preparing it for transport.
Bear in mind that brewery jobs often involve heavy equipment, some of which you will need to move around the brewery. You will need a certain level of fitness to work in a brewery. Some aspects of the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard will also require you to work outside in all types of weather.

Trainee brewer jobs are not for those of you looking to work office hours, Monday to Friday. You must be prepared to work shift patterns, including nights, weekends and public holidays.
Further Career Progression
Once you have completed the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard, you may be given the opportunity to work in more senior roles and more technical brewer jobs or beer engineer jobs. You could be a supervisor or shift manager or you might opt to do further study in STEM subjects to help further your knowledge and career.

If you have the entrepreneurial spirit, once you have more qualifications and experience, some of you might also opt to work for yourself and brew your own beers in a microbrewery.
Apply For A Brewery Apprenticeship in the UK
So does the Brewer Apprenticeship Standard sound like it might be right up your street? If you have a passion for beer and think you can make a contribution to the future of the UK’s quality beer production, apply for a Brewery Apprenticeship now and you could soon be on the way to an exciting career in a vibrant industry.

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