Nutrition assistant.

As a nutrition assistant you make healthy delicious food for many people at once — in hospitals nursing homes canteens and institutions. You cannot just make good food you also understand how the diet must be adapted when someone is ill elderly or has special needs. When you are done you are skilled in industrial kitchens and nutrition.

§What do you do in everyday life?

You plan menus, prepare the food and make sure it both tastes good and provides the right nutrition. It may be breakfast, lunch and a hot meal for an entire department, and you often have to take diets into account — for example gluten-free food, soft meals for someone who has trouble chewing, or extra energy for a patient who needs building up. You work in a busy industrial kitchen, keep track of hygiene and portions and work closely with colleagues to get everything out on time.

• 01You learn to prepare healthy and delicious food for many people at once.
• 02You become good at adapting meals to the sick, elderly and people with special needs.
• 03You work with diets, allergies and nutrition, so food fits the individual.
• 04You learn to plan menus and manage purchases, portions, and food waste.
• 05You get on top of hygiene and food safety in a professional large kitchen.
• 06You get a trade where your food makes a concrete difference to others' well-being and health.

§How do you get started?

You typically start with a basic course at a vocational school and then need an apprenticeship in a large kitchen — for example at a hospital, a care home, or a canteen. The education alternates between school stays and practice so you learn the theory of nutrition and use it in the kitchen right away. You get paid during training and work alongside experienced colleagues.

§The way forward

As a finished nutrition assistant you can work in kitchens at hospitals nursing homes canteens institutions and food companies. You can specialise in diet food become a kitchen leader or take responsibility for menu planning. If you want to continue studying the training can be a stepping stone to studying for a professional bachelor in nutrition and health or other further education.

“Good food for the one who needs it most — that is an nutrition assistant's daily routine.”