Ep 54 - Butchery

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What we’re talking about:

Today I’m chatting with Matt, who is an apprentice butcher completing a Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) at William Angliss. He actually started (and successfully completed) a Bachelor of Biomedicine first, but when he found himself enjoying the work he was doing in his part-time job at the local butcher shop more than what he was studying, he made the decision to pursue becoming a butcher instead. Listen up to hear about Matt’s experience as an apprentice butcher, his incredible win at the World Butchers’ Challenge in the US, and his advice for anyone thinking of pursuing not only butchery but any trade.

From Biomedicine to Butchery

Matt enjoyed Chemistry and Biology at school, and so he followed the logical choice of going to university and studying Biomedicine. He shares the parts of his Biomedicine degree that he enjoyed, why he made the choice to switch direction even though he was doing well at uni and didn’t hate what he was doing, and how he started his apprenticeship in Butchery.

What it’s like to be an Apprentice Butcher

Matt shares what his work looks like and the types of tasks he does in his day-to-day work. He also talks about what he learns at William Angliss when he goes into trade school, and how it shows how much butchering has changed over time. Matt also shares his experience this year when he represented Australia at the World Butchers’ Challenge in the US. Not only did he win, but he learnt a lot about his prospects as a butcher not only in Australia but around the world.

Work Opportunities for Butchers (and Tradespeople in General)

In this episode, we talk about how parents and students often see university as the safest pathway from school, however the reality is that people with trades are sought after and find it easy to find work. Matt shares that when he was overseas he found that this trend seems to be the case worldwide, meaning that having a trade can give you the opportunity to travel and work overseas as well. He also talks about how the butchery trade has changed over time, and how more and more women are joining the industry which is great for both representation and the trade in general.