This page is updated when information changes, but it's always best to talk to your training provider to confirm course details before you enrol.
Overview
Train for entry-level roles in meat processing. Build skills in hygiene, cutting and workplace safety.
This qualification covers work activities undertaken by those who are entering the meat processing industry. It is a general qualification that focuses on work in meat processing premises, such as slaughtering premises, knackeries, boning rooms, food services operations, cold stores, game processing establishments, or small goods manufacturing plants.
Graduates from this qualification usually work under general supervision to:
- access, record and act on a defined range of information from a range of sources
- apply and communicate known solutions to a limited range of predictable problems
- use a limited range of equipment to complete tasks involving known routines and procedures with a limited range of options.
All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, according to state/territory food safety, and work health and safety codes, regulations and legislation that apply to the workplace.
-
Financial help
-
Government funding is not available for this course.
-
-
Cost
Course costs can vary by provider and location. Ask your training provider for a cost estimate.
-
VET Student Loans are not available
-
You may need to pay for equipment or materials.
-
-
On-the-job training
- Apprenticeships and traineeships are not available for this course.
-
Entry requirements
This course doesn't have any entry requirements. It could be a good starting point for your career.
-
Duration
You complete this course when you’ve learned the skills, not after a set amount of time. The times shown are estimates.
- Qualification only:
6 months – 1 year
- Qualification only:
-
Delivery options
You may be able to access this training in these ways:
Course content
This course is made up of units.
All courses have core units—these are mandatory for completing the course. Most courses also have elective units, which you can choose from to suit your needs and interests. Not all training providers offer every elective, so check with your provider to find out which electives they can offer you.
For more information about course content, talk to your training provider or visit the National Training Register.
| Unit | Unit type |
|---|---|
| Apply hygiene and sanitation practices | Core |
| Communicate in the workplace | Core |
| Complete orientation to meat processing | Core |
| Follow food safety and quality programs | Core |
| Follow safe work policies and procedures | Core |
| Apply animal welfare and handling requirements | Elective |
| Apply environmentally sustainable work practices | Elective |
| Assemble and prepare cartons | Elective |
| Assess dentition | Elective |
| Bag carcase | Elective |
| Bag tail | Elective |
| Bar head and remove cheek meat | Elective |
| Bone head | Elective |
| Break down and bone carcase for pet meat | Elective |
| Break down carcase for rendering | Elective |
| Care for livestock in transit | Elective |
| Chemically treat skins | Elective |
| Chill or ice hides | Elective |
| Clean and maintain amenities | Elective |
| Clean boning room after operations | Elective |
| Clean carcase hanging equipment | Elective |
| Clean chillers | Elective |
| Clean slaughter floor after operations | Elective |
| Clean work area during operations | Elective |
| Complete changeover operation | Elective |
| Complete re-pack operation | Elective |
| Cure and corn product in a meat processing premises | Elective |
| Cut hocks | Elective |
| De-nude meat cuts | Elective |
| De-rind meat cuts | Elective |
| Despatch meat product | Elective |
| Feed race | Elective |
| Flush carcase | Elective |
| Follow electronic labelling and traceability systems in a food processing establishment | Elective |
| Free flares | Elective |
| Free tongue | Elective |
| Further process tripe | Elective |
| Grade poultry carcase | Elective |
| Handle livestock using basic techniques | Elective |
| Harvest edible poultry offal | Elective |
| Identify animals using electronic or other systems | Elective |
| Identify cuts and specifications | Elective |
| Inspect forequarter and remove contamination | Elective |
| Inspect hindquarter and remove contamination | Elective |
| Inspect meat for defects | Elective |
| Licence to operate a forklift truck | Elective |
| Loadout meat and meat products | Elective |
| Locate product in storage area | Elective |
| Maintain and repair network assets for wastewater | Elective |
| Maintain cleaning storage areas | Elective |
| Manually shape and form product | Elective |
| Measure fat | Elective |
| Monitor and operate wastewater treatment processes | Elective |
| Number carcase and head | Elective |
| Open and wash rumen | Elective |
| Operate a forklift in a specific work area | Elective |
| Operate a poultry dicing, stripping or mincing process | Elective |
| Operate a poultry evisceration process | Elective |
| Operate a poultry marinade injecting process | Elective |
| Operate a poultry stunning, killing, scalding and defeathering process | Elective |
| Operate a poultry washing and chilling process | Elective |
| Operate automatic chemical lean testing equipment | Elective |
| Operate bar and coder systems | Elective |
| Operate blow line | Elective |
| Operate carcase steam vacuum equipment | Elective |
| Operate carton forming machine | Elective |
| Operate carton scales | Elective |
| Operate carton sealing machine | Elective |
| Operate circular saw | Elective |
| Operate cubing machine | Elective |
| Operate electrical stimulator | Elective |
| Operate fleshing machinery | Elective |
| Operate frenching machine | Elective |
| Operate head splitter | Elective |
| Operate jaw breaker | Elective |
| Operate meat meal mill | Elective |
| Operate meat size reduction equipment | Elective |
| Operate metal detection unit | Elective |
| Operate mincer | Elective |
| Operate new technology or process | Elective |
| Operate nose roller | Elective |
| Operate pneumatic cutter | Elective |
| Operate quad bikes | Elective |
| Operate scalding and dehairing equipment | Elective |
| Operate scales and semi-automatic labelling machinery | Elective |
| Operate semi-automatic tagging machine | Elective |
| Operate side by side utility vehicles | Elective |
| Operate strapping machine | Elective |
| Operate tenderiser | Elective |
| Operate the bird receival and hanging process | Elective |
| Operate the live bird receival process | Elective |
| Operate vacuum blood collection process | Elective |
| Operate whizard knife | Elective |
| Operate wool dryer and press | Elective |
| Operate wool puller | Elective |
| Pack and dispatch rendered products | Elective |
| Pack meat and meat products | Elective |
| Package product using automatic packing and labelling equipment | Elective |
| Package product using gas flushing process | Elective |
| Package product using thermoform process | Elective |
| Perform emergency kill | Elective |
| Perform sweating operation on fellmongered skins | Elective |
| Prepare and operate bandsaw | Elective |
| Prepare and slice meat cuts | Elective |
| Prepare and trim honeycomb | Elective |
| Prepare animals for slaughter | Elective |
| Prepare birds for stunning | Elective |
| Prepare carcase and equipment for hide puller | Elective |
| Prepare chemicals for fellmongering process | Elective |
| Prepare hide or pelt for removal | Elective |
| Pressure wash and clean surfaces | Elective |
| Process and pack rumen | Elective |
| Process bibles | Elective |
| Process blood | Elective |
| Process maws | Elective |
| Process offal | Elective |
| Process pet meat | Elective |
| Process runners | Elective |
| Process skirts | Elective |
| Process slinks | Elective |
| Process small stock tripe | Elective |
| Provide First Aid | Elective |
| Punch pelts | Elective |
| Recover mountain chain | Elective |
| Recover offal | Elective |
| Recover skirts | Elective |
| Remove cheek meat | Elective |
| Remove head | Elective |
| Remove spinal cord | Elective |
| Remove tenderloins from small stock | Elective |
| Restrain animals | Elective |
| Salt hide or skin | Elective |
| Sample and test wastewater | Elective |
| Seal or drain urinary tract | Elective |
| Separate and seal runners | Elective |
| Separate offal | Elective |
| Shackle and hang animal | Elective |
| Sharpen and handle knives safely | Elective |
| Shave carcase | Elective |
| Shift loads using manually-operated equipment | Elective |
| Singe carcase | Elective |
| Skirt and weigh fellmongered wool | Elective |
| Sort carcases | Elective |
| Sort hide or skin | Elective |
| Stamp carcases | Elective |
| Store carcases | Elective |
| Store carton product | Elective |
| Transport meat and/or meat products | Elective |
| Trim forequarter to specification | Elective |
| Trim hide or skin | Elective |
| Trim hindquarter to specification | Elective |
| Trim meat to specifications | Elective |
| Trim neck | Elective |
| Trim processed tripe | Elective |
| Undertake pest control in a food processing premises | Elective |
| Unload animals | Elective |
| Use numeracy skills in meat processing | Elective |
| Vacuum pack product | Elective |
| Wash carcases | Elective |
| Wash head | Elective |
| Weigh carcase | Elective |
| Work from rise and fall platform | Elective |
| Work safely at heights | Elective |
Job prospects
The Certificate II in Meat Processing sets you up for roles like these, but the skills you learn could take you even further.
-
Meat Process Worker
ANZSCO 831311
Meat Process Workers process carcasses of slaughtered livestock and prepare meat and meat products.
Recommended education level:
Certificate I or secondary education
Training providers delivering Certificate II in Meat Processing
It's a good idea to research multiple training providers to make sure you're getting the right training for you.
-
TAFE QUEENSLAND (RTO code 0275)
Contact this provider
-
Australian Training Plus (RTO code 91434)
Contact this provider
-
AXIAL TRAINING PTY LTD (RTO code 2437)
Contact this provider
-
FS Alliance (RTO code 30814)
Contact this provider
-
JBS AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED (RTO code 45465)
Contact this provider
-
Response Learning (RTO code 30879)
Contact this provider
-
Training and Quality Management Services Pty Ltd (RTO code 6051)
Contact this provider
-
training solutions australia pty ltd (RTO code 51502)
Contact this provider
How to enrol in this course
To enrol, choose a training provider that offers this course. You can see provider details on this page.
When you find one that you think suits you, visit their website or contact them directly to confirm details like start dates, fees, funding, delivery locations and delivery options.
The provider will guide you through the enrolment process.
How do apprenticeships and traineeships work?
Apprenticeships and traineeships let you combine hands-on work experience with training. You’ll gain job-ready skills and earn an income while you complete a qualification.
As an apprentice or a trainee, you work with an employer while completing your training. Most of your time is spent learning on the job, with some classroom or online training to support the skills you're developing in the workplace.
For some jobs, you may need to do an apprenticeship or traineeship before you are allowed to work as a qualified tradesperson. For example, you need to do an apprenticeship if you want to work as a licensed electrician.
Find out more about apprenticeships and traineeships.
See more information about the apprenticeship or traineeship you’re interested in pursuing on the Queensland Training Information Service.
How long will this course take?
This course is competency-based training, which means you progress as you demonstrate your skills and knowledge, rather than in a set amount of time.
The duration shown here is an estimate for full-time study based on how long most people take to complete the course. You may finish earlier than other people, or it may take you a bit longer.
If you’ve already completed training or have worked in a relevant area, you could get credits or recognition of prior learning. This can reduce the training you need to complete a qualification, which could reduce the time needed for training.
Duration for apprenticeships and traineeships
Apprenticeships and traineeships take longer than doing the qualification on its own, but you learn valuable hands-on skills.
For some jobs, you may need to do an apprenticeship or traineeship before you are allowed to work as a qualified tradesperson. For example, you need to do an apprenticeship if you want to work as a licensed electrician.
Learn about how courses are delivered
Different courses have different delivery options. Consider your needs when you’re researching courses. Some courses may be delivered entirely online or partially online. Others may be delivered in a classroom.
Some courses, like those delivered through apprenticeships and traineeships, are mostly based in the workplace but with some classroom or online study.
If a certain type of delivery is important to you, talk to your provider before you enrol to make sure they offer that delivery option.
How to reduce the cost of your course
There are lots of ways you can reduce the cost of your course.
- The government could partly or fully cover the cost of your course. See information about financial help and government funding on this page.
- The government also offers funding for some costs related to your course.
- If you’ve already completed training or have worked in a relevant area, you could get a cost credit or recognition of prior learning. This can reduce the training you need to complete a qualification, which could reduce the cost.
Learn about financial help and government funding
The main cost of training is usually the course fees, which vary depending on things like which course and training provider you choose.
You may be able to get your training for free or at a reduced cost, or you could get help with paying for training-related costs. You can also pay for some courses with a VET Student Loan.
Find out more about getting help paying for your training or check if you're eligible.
What are entry requirements?
Some courses have conditions you need to meet before you can enrol in the course. They help make sure you have the right background or skills for the training.
Entry requirements might include a certain education level, skills or knowledge, work status, or experience.