Food and drink technical operator
Engineering and manufacturing
Level 3 -
Working on production operations, setting up, and performing operational maintenance on food and drink machinery
Reference: OCC0196
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 8111/03 Food process bakery workers
- 3111/04 Laboratory food technicians
- 5246/00 Electrical service and maintenance mechanics and repairers
- 8111/01 Brewery and distillery workers
- 8111/02 Dairy workers
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Bakkavor, Coca Cola, Dovecote Park, Ferrero, Gressingham Foods, Karro Food Group, KP Snacks, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, Morrisons, Moy Park Poultry, Muller, Nestle, Ornua Foods, Pladis
Summary
This occupation is found in the food and drink manufacturing sector.
Companies are in the main large. They may produce one type of food and drink product or a range of products. Products may include biscuits, cakes, confectionary, fresh fruit, ready-to-eat and ready-to cook food, sandwiches, salads, soft drinks, and wraps.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to support the manufacture of quality food and drink products. They conduct start-up, close-down, changeover, and handovers in the manufacturing process, often using highly automated equipment and technology. They keep the manufacturing process running through operating machinery, front-line fault diagnosis and resolution, asset care, and performing basic maintenance. A key focus for technical operators is food safety, through monitoring Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points and recording the results. As they operate in a regulated environment, they may be involved in conducting internal audits and supporting external audits to demonstrate compliance. Demonstrating compliance will also involve completing and updating documents, risk assessments, and completing traceability records. Food and drink manufacturing is often a team activity. Technical operators may help to develop and support others through training and setting an example. They strive to continuously improve performance and quality (considering safety, quality, driving value). They support the implementation of new products or processes. During incidents, such as fires, accidents or near misses, they implement incident management procedures. Manufacturing process technicians will spend time on the production lines and off-line while working on activities such as projects. They are likely to be required to work shifts, including unsociable hours.
In their daily work, they interact with process operatives, other technical operators and site teams. This may include engineering, maintenance, quality, research and development, and packaging teams. They also interact with auditors, regulators and customers undertaking site visits. They typically report to an operational manager. They work with minimal supervision.
An employee in this occupation is responsible for working as part of a team to manufacture safe and compliant products. They need to meet deadlines, productivity, efficiency, hygiene, and environmental requirements, and ensure the health and safety of self and others.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Bakkavor, Coca Cola, Dovecote Park, Ferrero, Gressingham Foods, Karro Food Group, KP Snacks, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, Morrisons, Moy Park Poultry, Muller, Nestle, Ornua Foods, Pladis
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Prepare and run food and drink manufacturing line including hygienic practices, start-up, close-down, changeover, and handovers of manufacturing process.
Duty D2
Monitor and record results of Critical Control Points in food and drink manufacturing.
Duty D3
Control stock for example, intake of goods, storage of goods, entering information into management systems.
Duty D4
Resolve ‘front-line’ faults, relating to machines, raw materials through to finished product, people or packaging directly or via escalation. Identify the root cause.
Duty D5
Assist maintenance engineers by conducting first line mechanical engineering maintenance – preventative and reactive. For example, planned maintenance, repairs and overhauls.
Duty D6
Perform asset care tasks for example, lubricate.
Duty D7
Monitor performance for example, efficiency, wastage and compliance with environmental standards.
Duty D8
Undertake quality assurance to ensure compliance with company/customer requirements, for example take product samples.
Duty D9
Complete documentation for example, traceability, accident reports (near misses).
Duty D10
Develop and support others.
Duty D11
Conduct internal audits, in accordance with food and drink industry standards.
Duty D12
Support external audits for example, act as a guide for area of responsibility and/or provide information.
Duty D13
Develop, contribute to or update risk assessments and standard operating procedures for area of responsibility.
Duty D14
Support projects, such as the introduction of a new process, equipment or product, by trialling processes, new standard operating procedures, and training others and sampling new products.
Duty D15
Undertake continuous improvement activities within area of responsibility for example, to improve quality, equipment efficiency, increase productivity, reduce run-time, reduce waste, or improve ergonomics of area.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Technical Occupations
Levels 2-3
Higher Technical Occupations
Levels 4-5
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Levels 6-7
Engineering and manufacturing