Skip to content

Manufacturing

Swap to Engineering design or Maintenance or go back to all job sectors

Production worker (manufacturing)

Production workers manufacture goods and parts in industries like pharmaceuticals, food and drink, construction and engineering.

Annual Salary

£17,000 to £24,000

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

Working hours

37 to 42 a week

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

5.8%
Future employment

There will be 5.8% fewer Production worker (manufacturing) jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In your day-to-day tasks you could:

  • measure, grade and feed raw materials into production machinery
  • operate production line equipment, like a factory conveyor line
  • assemble goods on a production line
  • report equipment faults to maintenance staff
  • monitor production and carry out basic testing and quality checks
  • store goods and raw materials in the factory or warehouse
  • use lifting equipment and forklift trucks
  • pack goods ready for shipment
  • clean and maintain work areas and machinery

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work in a factory.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You could take an intermediate apprenticeship in lean manufacturing.

This typically takes about 12 months to complete as a mix of learning on the job and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

You could apply for production jobs directly. Some employers may expect you to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent qualifications. Experience of production line work would be useful.

You may have to take a test at interview to assess your practical skills.

More information

Career tips

A forklift truck training certificate could be useful for some jobs.

Showing jobs in:
View all vacancies in this region

With experience, you could be promoted to shift supervisor or move into quality control.

Video stories related to this job

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • physical skills like strength and coordination
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
My top 5 skills
Please sign in to compare your skills to this job. Sign in

To save or view your choices and results you must sign in or register (takes 1 minute).

Sign in Register