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Canteen Assistant

Canteen assistants work with food service, customer service, goods handling and practical tasks in canteens and food outlets.

Catering and food servicesDraft – pending professional validationVersion 0.1 · last reviewed 2026-10-09
ReadingWritingNumeracyOral communicationDigital skillsCritical thinking

The occupation and work tasks

The work involves reading and understanding information about food, following instructions, using numbers and measurements, communicating with customers and using digital ordering and payment systems. Basic skills are particularly important for understanding and passing on information about ingredients, allergens, quantities and orders.

Typical work tasks

  • Read menus, product information and recipes.
  • Communicate with guests and colleagues.
  • Use measures, quantities and simple calculations.
  • Receive and record orders.
  • Use digital till and ordering systems.
  • Document relevant information and deviations.
  • Find and check information about food products.

Developments affecting the occupation

  • Digital menus and ordering systems
  • Automated stock and product information
  • AI-supported writing and planning

Basic skills in the workplace

Norway officially defines five basic skills. Critical thinking is an additional competence area adopted by Prios. Tasks are typical examples, not mandatory requirements or fixed frequencies.

Understand written and visual information about food, tasks and service.

About the skill

Daily tasks

  • Read menus and short messages.
  • Understand dates, labels and symbols.
  • Read information about ingredients and allergens.

Regular tasks

  • Read recipes and product declarations.
  • Find information in order lists.
  • Read updated work instructions.

Occasional tasks

  • Read user manuals for new equipment.
  • Find information in professional guidance.
  • Familiarise yourself with new routines.

AI and new technology

AI must never be the only basis for allergen information or food safety decisions. Supplementary topic, not an official basic skill.

Digital solutions are increasingly used for ordering, information and administration in food service. AI can also support general writing and planning. Employees need to understand the information and be aware that automatic suggestions can be wrong.

Understanding digital information

Digital menus and product lists must be read and understood correctly.

Checking against approved sources

Automatic suggestions can be wrong and must be checked.

Never guess

When important information is missing, it must be clarified – not assumed.

1. Digital menus and ordering systems

Exercise: Find specific details in a fictional digital menu.

2. Automated stock and product information

Discuss: What can go wrong when an automatic product list is out of date?

3. AI-supported writing

Exercise: Check an AI-written menu text for errors and ambiguities.

4. Critically checking ingredient and allergen information

Discuss why approved information always takes precedence over automatic answers.

Suggested learning outcomes

  • Use relevant digital information tools.
  • Identify uncertain or incomplete information.
  • Check information against approved sources.
  • Understand that AI must not be the only basis for allergen information or food safety decisions.

Teaching cases

Understanding allergen information

Learners read a clearly labelled, fictional menu and find stated and missing information. Exercise material – not suitable for real food service.

ReadingWritingCritical thinking
Open case

Scaling a recipe

Learners scale a fictional recipe from six to fifteen portions. An arithmetic exercise – not a food preparation instruction.

NumeracyReadingDigital skills
Open case

Is the online information reliable?

Learners assess a fictional social media post with an undocumented claim about a food product (media literacy).

Critical thinkingReadingDigital skills
Open case

Related resources

External link

External resources

Norwegian Food Safety Authority – Labelling of non-prepacked food

The Food Safety Authority’s requirements for information, including allergens. Provides occupational context – does not replace the workplace’s own procedures.

ReadingCritical thinking
MattilsynetNO
Open resource
External link

External resources

Occupational basic skills profiles

Explore how basic skills are used in different occupations.

HK-dirNO
Open resource
Exercise

Teaching activities

Check the source before sharing

Source criticism online: check sender, date and purpose before using or sharing information.

Digital skillsCritical thinkingReading
#Source criticism and information evaluation#Media literacy
Teaching example from PriosNO / EN
Open resource
Exercise

Digital learning resources

Check the AI answer

Evaluate whether AI-generated information is correct and relevant before using it at work.

Critical thinkingDigital skillsReading
#Digital judgement#Source criticism and information evaluation
Teaching example from PriosNO / EN
Open resource

How to use this profile when planning teaching

The occupational profile supports the planning of basic skills training. It is not a vocational training course.

  1. 1

    Identify relevant workplace tasks

    Choose tasks from the profile that participants recognise from their own working day.

  2. 2

    Discuss participants' previous experience

    What do participants already know and do? Many are experienced in their occupation.

  3. 3

    Identify basic skill needs

    Clarify where participants find reading, writing, numeracy, oral, digital or critical thinking challenging.

  4. 4

    Select relevant learning objectives

    Describe what the participant should be able to do better – in basic skills, not in the occupation itself.

  5. 5

    Choose practical teaching cases and resources

    Use the cases and resources in the profile as a starting point for practical exercises.

  6. 6

    Adapt activities to participants' levels

    Make tasks simpler or more demanding depending on participants’ skills.

  7. 7

    Reflect on learning outcomes

    Talk with participants about what they now handle better at work.

Questions for planning

  • Which tasks in the profile do participants recognise?
  • Which skill would be most useful in their working day?
  • How can the cases be adapted to participants’ levels?
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