Manufacturing Job Sector Factsheet
The manufacturing job sector covers a huge range of employment - with hundreds of
different job roles involved. Manufacturing is about producing all the things we use
and may need for example food and drink, doors and windows, clothing and
footwear, books and magazines, pharmaceutical products, fuel and oils and
furniture.
Manufacturing throughout the UK is a large employer with hundreds of different
manufacturers and producers – although many areas may specialise in particular
areas of manufacturing. There are 20 main sub-sectors within manufacturing many
of which are quite small - some of the largest ones in the UK are the manufacture of:

Chemicals

Food and Drink

Furniture

Glass and glazing

Machinery

Metal products

Paper

Printing

Rubber and Plastics

Textiles

Clothes (wearing apparel)
This factsheet has information about the whole manufacturing sector including:
1

Types of jobs

How much people earn

The ways into manufacturing

The job market

Future trends

Website addresses of specialist sites that you can explore if you’d like to find
out more.
Some of the other main areas such as machinery manufacture, automotive and
aeronautical, chemical, electrical and electronic and medical equipment are
included in the engineering sector as these are areas with a strong element of
design and engineering as well as manufacture.
The manufacturing sector also employs professional engineers, designers, and
scientists, and details of these jobs are included in the engineering and the science
job families.
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Types of Jobs
Jobs – and many job titles - across the manufacturing sector vary according to the
sector they are in. However manufacturing jobs are mainly offered at four different
levels with different entry level qualifications including:
Trainee/apprenticeship such as trainee pre-press operative (printing), apprentice
baker (food and drink), trainee packing operative, trainee print estimator, trainee
production operative, trainee installer/glazier, apprentice maintenance engineer,
apprentice laboratory assistant, or apprentice cabinet making (furniture).
Operative – such as food and drink process operative (food and drink), chemical
plant process worker, metals industry production operative, motor vehicle
manufacturing operative, plastics process operative, sheet metal worker, textile
operative, foundry process operator, assembler, production operative, distribution
operative, pre-press operator (print), furniture assembly, or packing and dispatch
operative.
Skilled and Technician – such as food scientist/technologist, quality assurance
technician, food safety adviser, laboratory technician, polymer technician, optical
engineering technician CAD designer, graphic designer, furniture designer, wood
machinist or specialist skilled crafts such as cabinet maker, baker, cake decorator,
book binder, brewer or butcher.
Management – such as general plant manager, process team leader, estimator,
production manager, operations manager, sales manager, purchasing manager, new
product development , packaging manager, human resources manager, accounts
manager, quality control inspector/manager, senior product design engineer , senior
graphic designer, senior furniture designer, senior maintenance engineer, product
technologist, food safety adviser, consumer analyst and health and safety officer.
Want to know more?
The list in this jobs section is a selection of job titles in manufacturing to give a
snapshot of this sector.
To find out more about ways into these different levels of jobs see pages 5 - 6
You can also use the Next Step website https://nextstep.direct.gov.uk/ to find out
about 100s of jobs and careers, including the ones listed above and many, many
more.
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Pay
Apprenticeships
There is no set rate of pay for apprentices in any industry including manufacturing,
however all employed apprentices must receive a wage of no less than £2.50
per hour and a recent survey (November 2010) showed that the average wage per
week for an apprentice is now around £170 and in some job roles around £210 per
week. It may go up as your skills increase.
As an apprentice, you will receive the same benefits as other employees such as
pension contributions, subsidised canteen and leisure facilities.
Operative level
Operatives earn a range of pay – depending on the manufacturing sector – these
range from £10,000 and up to as high as £20,000 a year. Average pay for operatives
with some experience is around £14,000 a year.
Skilled and Technician
Technicians and skilled workers earn a range of pay – depending on the
manufacturing sector and the shortage of people with a specific skill – these range
from £18,000 and up to as high as £45,000 a year.
Management
Managers earn a range of pay – depending on the manufacturing sector – these
range from £22,000 and up to as high as £75,000 a year (or more in a few senior
management roles in some manufacturing sectors).
Salary figures from jobs4U website - www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
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Ways in to manufacturing
There are four main entry points into manufacturing. The qualifications you need for
entry depend on the level you start at. It is possible to improve both your skills and
your prospects by taking additional training and qualifications, to enable you to
progress from operative to technician/skilled level and on to management level.
Main entry points:
Apprenticeship level
There are apprenticeships on offer right across the manufacturing sector so you can
train up to operative or technician level via an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship vacancies can be searched on www.apprenticeships.org.uk
Operative level
Although it is possible to find a job as a manufacturing operative without any formal
qualifications, GCSEs (A*-E) can be useful, especially if you are keen to start training
on an Apprenticeship. With increased automation and use of technology, operatives
need to have some understanding of Information Technology and of the systems
involved in producing goods. Some employers may ask applicants to take a technical
aptitude test to assess their manual skills.
Many operatives start as apprentices and train on the job. There are also preemployment training courses at some colleges and training providers, and a range of
manufacturing-related qualifications at different levels, including Foundation or
Higher level Diplomas in Manufacturing and City & Guilds qualifications.
The main route into craft level is through an Apprenticeship. There are no set
qualifications required for entry, but individual employers may ask for at least four
GCSEs (A*-C), including English, maths and a subject such as science, engineering,
or design and technology or the Diploma in engineering or construction and the built
environment at higher level.
Technician/ skilled level
Technicians and skilled manufacturing workers can either train with an employer on
an Apprenticeship, or take a full-time or part-time college course and then apply to
an employer for a trainee technician post.
Individual employers may ask for at least four GCSEs (A*-C), including English,
maths and a subject such as science, engineering, or design and technology or the
Diploma in manufacturing or engineering at higher level.
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It may be possible to start as a trainee technician with four GCSE's (A*-C) via an
Apprenticeship scheme. The Diploma in manufacturing or the Diploma in
engineering may also be relevant.
Some skilled jobs such as graphic design, furniture design or food technologist may
require specific qualifications and/or experience in the skill area.
Management level
It may be possible to start as a trainee manager with four GCSE's (A*-C) via an
Advanced Apprenticeship scheme. Employers may ask for at least four GCSEs (A*C), including English, maths and a subject such as science, engineering, or design
and technology or the Diploma in manufacturing or engineering at higher level.
Some manufacturing managers enter after an industry related degree - for example
in manufacturing or management or a specific skill area such as product design,
digital product design, accountancy, food science/technology or materials science.
Minimum qualifications for manufacturing degrees are generally a minimum of two A
levels or equivalent and five subjects at GCSE (A*-C) or equivalent. Some degree
subjects such as product design and food science may have specific subject
requirements at A level or equivalent so do check the subject that interests you on
www.ucas.co.uk.
There are also a range of manufacturing foundation degrees – these generally
require a minimum of one A level or equivalent and four subjects at GCSE (A* - C) or
equivalent. Some manufacturing degrees combine a foundation year as a starting
point to an honours degree.
For more information about the courses on offer locally for 14-19 year olds including the new Diplomas - why not check out your local area prospectus?
Barnsley - www.barnsley1419.info
For courses in higher education check out the UCAS website - www.ucas.com
For Apprenticeships check out vacancies on this site:

National Apprenticeship site - www.apprenticeships.org.uk
You can also ring the Barnsley Connexions Centre for information on local
Apprenticeships: 01226 205686.
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The Job Market
The UK is the world’s sixth largest manufacturer. Manufacturing generated £150
billion for the UK economy in 2008. It accounted for 55% of all exports and 75% of
industrial research and development (£22.5 billion).
Manufacturing and production employs around 2.25 million people in England –
around 10% of the working population.
Manufacturing areas related to engineering are covered in the job market pages
about engineering for example aeronautical engineering and medical engineering so
to find out about the whole sector in detail read the engineering job sector too.
The information in this section is about the:

Process and manufacturing sector – covered by the Proskills Sector Skills
Council

Food and drink manufacture –covered by the Improve Sector Skills Council
The process and manufacturing sector includes:

Building Products

Coatings

Extractive and Mineral Process

Furniture, furnishings and interiors

Glass and related industries

Glazed ceramics

Paper

Print

Wood

For food and drink see section on page nn
These areas above employ 810,000 employees and there are 79,600 workplaces.

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The majority of employers - 80% - employ less than 10 employees. However
- although only 1% of companies have more than 200 employees, this is
about a quarter of the total workforce. There are a large number of
multinational organisations, but none employ more than 10,000 in the UK.

Although there overall size of the sector workforce is forecast to decrease
over the next ten years, there will still be a need for almost 93,000 extra
people up to 2017. Over the same period, there is a forecast fall in the
number of lower level occupations, but a rise in demand for higher level
skills.

The building products (42%), glass (38%) and extractive and mineral
processing (36%) industries were the most likely to have experienced a
decrease in their workforce.

One in five coatings firms (20%) has experienced an increase in the size of
their workforce.

The workforce is also more likely than average to have grown in the glass
sub-sector (16%).

Larger companies are more likely to have suffered decreases in their
workforces than smaller companies.

9% of manufacturing employers in England reported recent workforce growth
in 2009.
The largest industries in this sector are:

printing which employs 206,000 people in 27,000 workplaces

glass which employs 168,000 people in 21,600 workplaces

furniture manufacturing which employs 149,000 people in 12,200 workplaces

Paper manufacturing which employs 99,000 people in 3,600 workplaces

Extractive and mineral processing which employs 86,000 people in 10,000
workplaces

Building products which employs 51,000 in 3,000 workplaces
Recent technological changes are having a big impact on manufacturing with a
shift towards E-manufacturing. E-manufacturing is about using information and
communication technologies and electronics not just in the factory but throughout the
supply chain.
For example 3D printing - as it becomes more sophisticated, smaller and cheaper to
purchase - is now able to produce physical objects so that modelling and some
products can be produced away from a factory. (See also future trends section.)
Sources: Proskills Sector Skills Assessment 2010 and The 2009 Employer Survey
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Food and Drink
Food and Drink
The main areas covered by food and drink are:

Animal feed

Bakery

Beer

Confectionery

Dairy

Fish

Meat

Soft Drinks
The food and drink manufacturing and processing industry in the UK is the largest
manufacturing sector.
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
There are about 460,000 people employed in the UK Food and Drink
Manufacturing industry – that’s 15% of the total manufacturing workforce.
They are employed in more than 11,100 workplaces and in addition 15,800
retail baker, butcher and fishmongers.

The largest employers in food and drink manufacturing are Bakery and meat
manufacturing and processing employers.

Although manufacturing of food and drink takes place throughout the UK the
areas with the largest percent of employees are Yorkshire and Humberside
(14% of all employees), the North West, Scotland and East Midlands. The
West Midlands (10%) and the South West (11%) also have significant
numbers in employment.

The majority of workers in the sector are described as ‘process, plant, and
machine operatives’ (34%) and ‘elementary positions’ (15%). A further 15%
are employed as ‘managers and senior officials’.

Skilled trades include occupations such as butcher, baker, brewer, fish filleter
and cake decorator.

67% of the workforce is male.

23% of female workers are employed part-time as compared to 4% of male
workers.

90% of the workforce is employed full-time.

96% of people working in the sector are employees

Most of the workforce – 65% - is employed in companies with 1-10 employees
and only 5% are employed in companies with more than 200 employees.

26% of the workforce is aged 16-30 years; 36% are aged 45 years and over

Over a third of the current workforce will retire in the next 20 years.

Recently, there have been major changes in consumer behaviour which
impact on the sector, such as:
o the traditional ‘three meals a day’ is being replaced by snacking and
grazing
o the increasing number of households and decreasing household size
leads to a greater demand for smaller pack sizes
o a greater reliance on ‘others’ to prepare and cook food which has
resulted in a greater demand for ready prepared food
o an increasing awareness of regional and local food and the impact on
the environment caused by importing food – especially fresh food
products.
o a greater awareness by consumers of food production systems and a
lack of confidence in mainstream food
Source: Improve AACS LMI report 2010 and UK Labour Market Information Profile
2009/2010
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Local trends
Yorkshire and Humberside
The process and manufacturing sector

More than 97,000 people work in the process and manufacturing sector in
Yorkshire and the Humber.

The largest work areas in Yorkshire and the Humber in manufacturing include:
o Glass and glazing which has 30,600 employees working in 2,270
workplaces
o Furniture manufacture which has 23,400 employees working in 1,240
workplaces
o Printing which has 20,400 employees working in 2,080 workplaces
o Paper which has 13,400 employees working in 310 workplaces
o Extractive and mineral processing which has 7,100 employees working
in 970 workplaces

The majority of firms - 73% - in the Yorkshire and Humber manufacturing
industry have fewer than 10 employees, but even though only 2% of
companies have more than 200 employees, a third of the total workforce work
in these larger companies.

75% of the workforce is male, although the proportion of women in the sector
is rising year on year.

Around 23% of employees in the Yorkshire and Humber manufacturing sector
fall into the process, plant and machine operatives occupational category, and
slightly more are classed as skilled trades (26%).

Recent forecasts suggest that employment in manual and semi-skilled roles
will continue to decrease as this shift progresses, but also that there will be a
simultaneous rise in higher level managerial and technical roles.
Sources: Proskills Sector Skills Assessment – England 2010, annex H. Data derived
from the Annual Business Inquiry 2007 and the Labour Force Survey 2008. The
Yorkshire and the Humber sector profile, 2007/08
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Food and drink

The food and drink manufacturing industry in Yorkshire and the Humber
employs an estimated 52,700 people – this is 12% of the food and drink
manufacturing sector’s workforce in England.

There are 1,300 workplaces in and the majority are small employers with 64%
of staff working in organisations of between 1 and 10 staff, and only 6%
working in organisations of over 200 staff.

Meat and bakery manufacturing employers are the main employers making up
almost half of all the food and drink manufacturing in Yorkshire and the
Humber area

The Yorkshire and Humber food and drink sector makes up 17% of the
region’s total manufacturing workforce.

90% of the workforce is employed full-time.

24% of all female workers are employed part-time, compared with 4% of all
male workers.

The majority of employees are aged 20-24 years (16%) and 40-44 years
(16%).

Over a third of the current workforce will retire in the next 20 years.

66% of employees are employed at operative or elementary level, 18% at
skilled and technical level and 16% at professional and management level.
Source: Yorkshire and the Humber Labour Market Information Profile
2009/2010
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Future Trends
Since 1998, there has been a steady decline in the numbers employed in the sector
as a whole and the number of workplaces, but productivity in the sector has
continued to increase over the same period.
January 2011 figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show total
manufacturing output increased by 5.6% in November 2010 compared with
November 2009. This was the highest growth rate for 16 years.
Output increased in most manufacturing areas – large growth areas include an
increase of:

20% in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industries

11.6% in the basic metals and metal products sector

8.7% in the food and drink industries
The only decline was in chemicals and manmade fibres with a decrease of 2.8%
The Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) predicts that manufacturing will
continue to grow in 2011 at an average 3.5%
By 2017, 587,000 new workers will need to be recruited into the manufacturing
sector.
However the profile of workers is predicted to change. Overall, almost 47% of all
employees in 2017 will be at associate professional level or higher, compared with
just over 32% in 1987.
Growth in 2011 has been based on solid growth in orders for exports – particularly to
emerging markets based on a weaker pound which is boosting demand from
overseas. This may affect growth if the pound becomes stronger.
There are significant changes taking place in manufacturing which is driving the
need for workers at higher rather than lower levels as IT and electronics increases
productivity and efficiency. Modern working practices and advances in technology in
the sector will mean that businesses will become more automated over the coming
years.
Operatives increasingly need to be able to multi-task so they may not only be on the
production line but also be dealing with quality control checking and/or machinery
maintenance.
New inventions and also older technologies become more affordable also will
continue to impact on the market. For example 3D printing - a way of fabricating
objects designed on the computer - has become more affordable and advanced
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recently and is set to make manufacturing more possible on a smaller scale and
news reports have recently predicted manufacturing taking place in the home!
One scheme that is looking to use this technology is RepRap – short for Replicating
Rapid Prototyping – which offers a cheap way of replicating objects including the
printer itself. The 3D printer – currently the size of a microwave - can print out parts
that can then be assembled.
The ability to produce specially designed objects from a computer will make it
possible to manufacture on a smaller scale. These printers work with a whole range
of different materials including plastics and certain types of metals. The US army
have experimented using rapid prototyping to create parts for broken tanks, guns
and other hardware in combat situations.
Source: Proskills AACS LMI Report 2010 and Proskills Sector Skills Assessment
2010
Food and drink Manufacturing

Job losses are expected to be concentrated within low and mid-skill level
occupations, including Skilled Trades and Operative roles.

Expanding numbers of high-skill level occupations are predicted, including
Managers and Senior Officials and Professionals.

44,000 high-skill level jobs are forecast to be needed between 2007-2017 and
54,000 low-skill level jobs.

Across the sector as a whole, recruitment issues are primarily in technical and
skilled jobs, such as engineering, food scientists and technologists, quality
assurance, bakers, millers, fish-filleters and smokehouse operators.
New and emerging occupations include:
14

Operational Level Jobs – Production control operations increasingly include
machinery maintenance activities. Operation roles increasingly include quality
monitoring and reporting tasks.

First Line Management – Team leadership roles are now replacing supervisor
roles within flat management structures.

Environmental Control and Sustainability Roles – These roles are now being
developed at junior/middle management level.

Productivity and Improvements Roles – These are increasingly becoming
important at junior/middle management levels.

Corporate, Social Responsibility Roles – Senior management level roles are
increasingly linked to environmental and sustainability agendas.
Sources: Improve AACS LMI report 2010 Projection figures from ’Working Futures
2007 -2017’ Warwick Institute of Employment Research - November 2008.
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Find out more about Manufacturing
www.automotive-skills.org.uk
Sector Skills Council for the automotive industry.
www.bfm.org.uk
British Furniture Manufacturers' Association (BFM)
www.britglass.org.uk
British Glass
www.bpf.co.uk
British Plastics Federation
www.brppa.co.uk
The British Rubber and Polyurethane Products Association
www.cogent-ssc.com
Sector skills Council for the oil and gas, chemicals, nuclear, petroleum and polymer
industries.
www.instituteofcarpenters.com
The Institute of Carpenters (IOC)
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
You can use this site to find out about all the jobs in this sector in more detail.
www.careersbox.co.uk
A free national careers film library showing films of people doing jobs.
www.direct.gov.uk/diploma
The official government site about all the different diplomas
www.enginuity.org.uk
Enginuity the site that’s all about engineering and technology careers.
www.materials-careers.org.uk
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining’s careers site
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www.imeche.org
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
www.iomnet.org.uk
Institute of Operations Management (IOM)
www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk
The Manufacturing Institute
www.proskills.co.uk and www.prospect4u.co.uk
Proskills UK Sector Skills Council for manufacturing and process industries
www.semta.org.uk
SEMTA - The Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing
Technology and the lead for the Diploma in Engineering.
www.scenta.co.uk
SCENTA Limited - careers information in science, engineering and technology.
www.sectorcareersinfo.co.uk
This site has a link to all sector skills councils.
www.materials.ac.uk
UK Centre for Materials Education
www.metskill.co.uk
Metskill (Metal Industry Skills and Performance).
www.wisecampaign.org.uk
Women into science, engineering and construction – careers information for girls.
www.youngeng.org
Young engineers to encourage young engineers.
Food and Drink
www.improve-skills.co.uk
Improve SSC - the site also has and interactive online careers service on the website
available www.improve-skills.co.uk/careers/careers-information/dunkan
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www.foodanddrink.nsacademy.co.uk
National Skills academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing
www.careersinfoodanddrink.co.uk/
Careers in Food and Drink
www.fdf.org.uk
Food and Drink Federation
Factsheet produced by Prospects January 2011
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