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Food packaging operative

Food packaging operatives work on production lines, putting food and drink products into containers, cans and packets.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £29,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

40 to 45 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

0.9%
Future employment

There will be 0.9% fewer Food packaging operative jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

As a food packaging operative, you would:

  • pack products into boxes, packets and containers
  • carry out routine quality checks
  • keep machines supplied with packaging materials and labels
  • adjust machine settings
  • report production line faults to supervisors
  • move packaged goods to storage areas and stack them safely

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work in a factory.

Your working environment may be noisy and hot.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You may be able to apply to do a Food and Drink Process Operator Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This takes around one year to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs. You may not need any qualifications to start as a packaging operative, although it can help if you've worked on a production line before.

Knowledge of food safety can also be useful but employers will normally offer full training for the right candidates.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You might need forklift truck training for some some jobs, for example, for moving finished products to a factory warehouse.

More information

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With experience, you could become a:production line leader; shift supervisor or section manager; quality control assistant

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • concentration skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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