Food packaging operative
Help to prepare food and drink for sale in the shops by keeping production lines running smoothly.
Also known as: packer
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£240
Entry level
£423
Experienced
Monthly
£1,042
Entry level
£1,833
Experienced
Yearly
£12,500
Entry level
£22,000
Experienced
14,100
people are currently employed
Low growth
600 fewer jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
A day in the life — food packaging operative
What it's like
You would help to prepare food and drink for sale in the shops by keeping production lines running smoothly.You’d work on the machines and production lines that put finished food and drink products into containers, cans or packets.You could be packaging:
Meat
Fish
Fruit
Vegetables
Pre-cooked meals
Soft drinks
Confectionary
You’d work quickly and accurately to meet production targets. You’d need to have good observational skills and patience to do repetitive tasks.You would:
Check the quality of products for quality and remove defective items
Keep machines supplied with packaging materials and labels
Report machine faults to shift supervisors and maintenance staff
Make minor adjustments to machine settings to changes from one product or container to another
Keep the machines and production areas clean
Put the products into boxes or crates to be sent to shops and supermarkets
You might also move the packaged items around the warehouse using pallet trollies or a forklift truck.It’s important to follow strict health and safety guidelines, and have good standards of personal hygiene.
Hours
Environment
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Food and drink
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- reliable
- time management
- attention to detail
- observation
- working with numbers
- problem solving
- reading
- cooperating
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Health and Food Technology
Practical Craft Skills
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this role.
Experience of working on a production line.
Qualifications that show understanding of the manufacturing industry and health and saftey standards such as Skills for Work Food and Drink (SCQF level 5) or a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Food and Drink Operations (SVQ level 2/3).
A forklift licence may also be advantageous.
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