Poultry Processing Course
A trusted poultry processing course at NQF Level 2 — the National Certificate in Poultry Meat Processing is a 120-credit qualification covering hygiene, food safety, slaughter and processing operations, and packaging. Twelve months of blended, work-integrated learning, delivered nationwide through Phambili Village Campus.
The poultry processing course built for South Africa’s food production workforce.
Poultry is one of South Africa’s largest food industries, and every chicken that reaches a supermarket shelf or food service kitchen has passed through the hands of skilled processing workers. This poultry processing course is built to train those workers properly — giving them the formal qualification, the food safety knowledge, and the practical skills that make a safe, efficient processing operation possible.
Over twelve months, the poultry processing course at NQF Level 2 covers the full operational reality of poultry meat processing: personal and facility hygiene, food safety and HACCP principles, receiving and handling live birds, stunning and slaughter procedures, evisceration and dressing, carcass inspection, chilling, cutting, packaging, and the quality standards that govern every step. It’s a practical, workplace-grounded qualification built for people doing the actual work.
What makes Phambili’s delivery different is that learning happens where the work happens. The theory is delivered in digestible, accessible modules — but the real learning comes from structured assignments inside the learner’s own processing environment, with coach feedback on how they apply what they’re taught. That’s what our blended learning model is built for, and it’s delivered nationwide so processing employers across South Africa can build their workforce wherever their plants are located.
The qualification is registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at Level 2 and recognised across the South African food production industry. It is particularly well-suited to poultry processing employers investing in their operators and line workers — the credits count toward B-BBEE skills development scorecards and the programme is fully levy claimable through the relevant SETA.
Inside the poultry processing course curriculum.
The curriculum follows the real production flow of a poultry processing plant — from live bird intake through to packed product leaving the facility — with hygiene, food safety and quality standards running through every module.
Hygiene & Food Safety Fundamentals
Personal hygiene, protective clothing, handwashing protocols, facility hygiene, cleaning and sanitisation. The foundation of everything else — without this, nothing else matters.
HACCP & Food Safety Systems
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, identifying food safety risks, following control measures, and understanding how individual actions contribute to product safety.
Receiving & Handling Live Birds
Receiving live poultry, animal welfare principles, pre-slaughter handling, crate management, and ensuring birds arrive at the processing line in the correct condition.
Slaughter & Primary Processing
Stunning, slaughter and bleeding procedures, scalding, plucking, and the standards that govern each step. Learners understand both the technique and the reasons behind it.
Evisceration & Carcass Inspection
Evisceration procedures, inspection for defects and contamination, dressing, and the quality controls that determine which carcasses pass and which are rejected.
Chilling, Cutting & Deboning
Temperature control through chilling, primary and secondary cutting operations, deboning techniques, yield management, and working safely with processing equipment.
Packaging & Product Handling
Weighing, packaging, labelling, cold chain management, loading for dispatch, and protecting product quality from the line to the customer.
Workplace Safety & Teamwork
Health and safety in a processing environment, using PPE correctly, working safely around machinery, teamwork on the line, and the professional conduct expected in a food production facility.
Processing plant workers and the employers who train them.
This poultry processing course is built for the people doing the real work inside processing facilities — line operators, machine operators, general workers and team members who need the formal qualification to match the skills they’re building every day at work. It’s also an entry point for new workers joining the poultry industry for the first time.
Most learners on this programme are employer-funded. Poultry processing businesses use this qualification to upskill their workforce, improve food safety outcomes, reduce rework and waste, and build the internal capacity to handle higher standards and tighter margins. Because delivery is nationwide, employers can train workers across multiple plants consistently — a dual return on skills spend through improved operations and B-BBEE scorecard points.
Where this qualification takes you.
- Poultry Processing Operator
- Line Worker / Machine Operator
- Slaughter & Evisceration Worker
- Packaging & Dispatch Worker
- Quality Control Assistant
- Team Leader (with experience)
- Pathway into higher-level food processing qualifications
Four phases of blended learning.
Phambili’s delivery model is adapted for workplace-based learners in operational environments. Most learning happens where the work happens — inside the processing plant — with structured theory and coach support to tie it together.
Digital Foundation
Accessible online and print-based modules cover theoretical grounding, food safety principles, and core concepts. Designed for learners at NQF Level 2 entry and fitted around shift work.
Applied Learning
Facilitated sessions where learners work through scenarios, food safety case studies, and the practical application of hygiene and HACCP principles with coach support.
Work-Integrated Learning
Structured assignments drawn directly from the learner’s processing environment. Theory meets practice inside the plant, with assessor and coach feedback throughout.
Workplace Integration
Full on-the-job application supported by portfolio of evidence. Learners document their practice on the line, assessed against the SAQA unit standards.
Who qualifies to enrol
- NQF Level 1 (Grade 9) or equivalent as a minimum
- Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) considered for experienced workers without formal NQF 1
- Working literacy and numeracy in English or a supported home language
- Currently employed in a poultry processing environment, or entering one through the programme
- Physically able to perform the work of a processing operator
- Willingness to complete workplace-based assessments and build a portfolio of evidence
A smart investment in your workforce
Fees are tailored to employer-funded cohorts — this qualification is overwhelmingly delivered as a workforce development programme rather than to self-funded individuals. Because it is NQF-registered and accredited, the full cost qualifies under skills development spend and is claimable through the relevant SETA.
For poultry processing employers, this means the programme contributes directly to your B-BBEE skills development scorecard while measurably improving food safety compliance, hygiene standards, and operator competence across your line.
Build a better-trained processing line.
Applications are open for the next intake of the Phambili poultry processing course. Delivered nationwide for employer-funded cohorts — speak to our team about rolling out the programme in your facility.