Annual Salary
£22,000 to £34,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Engineering design or Maintenance or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Engineering design or Maintenance or go back to all job sectors
Chemical plant process operators control machinery that makes products like paints, plastics, solvents and cosmetics.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; on shifts
There will be
5.8% fewer Chemical plant process operator jobs in 2027.
As a chemical plant process operator, you'll:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work at a manufacturing plant or in a laboratory.
Your working environment may be noisy.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a college course, which would give you some of the skills and knowledge that might help you to get a job as a trainee.
For example:
You could apply for an apprenticeship, for example:
These apprenticeships can take between 2 and 3 years to complete. They combine on-the-job training with off-site study.
You'll usually need:
You can apply directly for jobs. Some employers may ask for GCSEs in maths, English, IT and a science subject, or equivalent qualifications.
Previous experience in the manufacturing and processing industries would be an advantage, as would forklift truck training.
You can find more details about careers and training in the chemicals industry from Cogent Skills.
With experience, you could move into:shift supervision; quality control; machine maintenance; health and safety; training
With further study, you could become a manufacturing process technician or process lead.
You'll need: