Annual Salary
£18,000 to £37,000
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(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 chemical products, like paints, cleaning fluids and cosmetics.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; on shifts
On a typical day you could:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work in an office, in a laboratory or at a manufacturing plant.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a college course, which would give you some of the skills and knowledge needed in the job, for example:
You'll usually need:
You could get into this job through an apprenticeship, for example:
These apprenticeships can take between 18 months and 3 years to complete.
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.
You may be asked to take a maths test along with other assessments, and pass a medical at the interview stage.
Previous experience in the manufacturing and processing industries would be an advantage.
A forklift truck certificate may be useful.
There is not enough data for this job to find employment statistics
With experience, you could move into quality control, lab work, maintenance or shift management.
With further study, you could become a process technician.
You'll need: