September 13, 2019
Cherise Redden is only in her second year of her Competenz Butchery apprenticeship, but that hasnāt stopped her from taking out the 2019 Retail Meat New Zealand Apprentice of the Year award.
Cherise works at Countdownās state-of-the-art Meat and Seafood processing facility in Otahuhu, Auckland and says winning the award means a lot to her. āItās recognition for something Iāve worked hard at and proves to me that I am good enough, and Iām proud of the fact that I am consistently doing well as a female in a male dominated industry.ā
Prior to starting her apprenticeship, Cherise spent ten years as a knife hand and says it was a conversation with Countdown Retail Meat senior operations manager Riki Kerekere, that led her to enrol in the apprenticeship programme and pursue a career in butchery.
āI had no job prospects really and Riki asked me if Iād like to work in his chicken boning room. I was a bit apprehensive but thought hey, Iāll give it a go! I love it ā itās so rewarding perfecting a certain cut or consistently de-boning something cleanly every time. Iām most proud of my knife skills. I love every aspect of knife work ā speed, cleanliness, presentation and even the physical aspect.
āStarting out in a boning room was the foundation of my love for boning and breaking. I also love sampling new products,ā she says.
The early morning starts donāt phase Cherise, who says āwaking up at 4am might sound bad, but itās a positive as thereās no traffic and you finish early! And working for a large supermarket has its advantages, including getting a lot of practice with our knives with the high volumes of product.ā
Riki continues to be an inspiration to Cherise, and has taught her āso muchā over the years and his opinion on her work has always been the one she regards the highest.
After sheās completed her studies, Cheriseās dream is to work her way up into an upper management retail role. āIād like to sustain that career until Iām comfortable enough to move out of the city and settle in a small rural community and maybe even open my own shop. Iād love to train an apprentice of my own one day.ā
Her advice to school leavers? Just do it. āSometimes you just donāt know what you want to do when you leave school and just want to have fun. I say give it a go like I did ā you never know ā it might end up being that one thing you never thought you'd enjoy or be good at!ā
Find out more about taking on a butchery apprentice
Find out more about becoming a butchery apprentice
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