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

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.

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 bending, lifting and carrying
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

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

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

You could work in a factory.

Your working environment may be noisy and hot.

You may need to wear protective clothing.