From farm kid to apprentice butcher – following a passion from a young age

Toby Kemp was part of North Central LLEN’s Broader Horizons program in 2025, which gives students the opportunity to explore careers in local trades. As part of the program, Bourke’s Butchers hosted students for a morning, where they got hands-on making sausages.

Keen to continue developing his skills, Toby then sought out a work experience placement at another butcher shop, where he learnt about smallgoods production of home grown pork.

Toby has always had a keen interest in becoming a butcher and these experiences really confirmed this.

With the support of Birchip P-12 School, North Central LLEN’s Career Education Partnership (CEP) and Head Start program, Toby took another important step towards his goal. After preparing his resume and cover letter, he successfully applied for a Head Start School-Based Apprenticeship (SBAT).

Toby’s SBAT allows him to continue his school studies three days a week, while spending two days each week working as an apprentice butcher, completing his studies in Cert III in meat processing through the William Angliss Institute.

We had the opportunity to talk to Toby and ask him a few questions. This is what he said:

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Toby Kemp, I’m 15 years old and the fourth generation of my family to live on the farm. I’m the youngest of five, with four older sisters. On the farm, we run pigs, sheep and grain. Outside of farming, I enjoy fishing, hunting, riding motorbikes with friends and spending time with my family at the lake or around the pool. Most of all, I love cooking, especially smoking meats and trying different things with the smoker.

How did you know you wanted to work as a butcher?

I enjoy being outdoors, spending time with my family and friends, and getting involved in life on the farm. A part of this was our family have always had mobile butchers come out to slaughter and butcher our own meat. It was something our whole family would get involved in, and I always really enjoyed being part of it. I found the whole process interesting and especially learning about the different cuts of meat and how everything was prepared.

Over the last couple of years, my interests in butchering have grown even more. I’ve spent a lot of my own time watching YouTube videos and researching different butchering techniques and cuts of meat, what each cut is used for and what dish you can make. Also I’m interested in learning about the different qualities of meat, including how the intermuscular fat content is shown through the meat. The more I’ve learnt about it, the more I’ve realised that it’s something I really enjoy and wanted to make a career out of it.

For any students who don’t know, how to go about getting a school-based apprenticeship (SBAT?)

If you’re interested in a trade, don’t be afraid to give it a go!

Talk to your career practitioner and ask them to help you work out the best way to get started. Approach local businesses and ask if they would be willing to give you some work experience. This is a great way to see if you actually enjoy the job. If you really enjoyed the work experience, have a conversation with the employer and your careers practitioner about whether a school-based apprenticeship could be an option.

I also feel it helps to do your own research into the industry. Learn as much as you can and show that you’re keen, interested and motivated. Turn up, ask questions, listen.

Showing that you really want to be there, can go a long way!