JobsAndCareersWithSarahWillingham2016 - 139

FOCUS :
MANUFACTURING

Food and drink
The largest manufacturing sector in
the UK is food and drink. New research
from the National Skills Academy for
Food and Drink sees this sector as
increasing its managerial, professional
and technical vacancies. Plus, by the
year 2022 it's hoped there'll be more
than 49,000 further skilled professionals
and managers, and 27,000 production
staff needed. It's a well-paid area to
work in, with recent data showing
average earnings are higher than the
national average.

Household appliances
Most of us take our household appliances
for granted, but it's thanks to the
manufacturing industry that we're able
to do this. Product designers are the
creative folk who think up all these
appliances. If this work sounds like your
cup of tea, bear in mind you'll need a
logical mind, creativity and stacks of
computer-savvy to succeed. You'll also
need a relevant qualification or degree,
foundation degree or BTEC HNC level.

Words: Heledd Williams. Images: Shutterstock. Wage information provided by National Careers Service unless otherwise stated.

Packaging
We spend billions of pounds packaging
food and other items every year. Once
virtually unheard of, packaging is now a
huge, lucrative industry, particularly with
the rise in online shopping. It also often
plays a key role in attracting consumers
to buy products. From food and drink
and consumer goods to industrial,
automotive and chemicals, packaging
covers many areas.
According to the Packaging Federation,
'The UK packaging manufacturing
industry has annual sales of £11 billion
and employs 85,000 people.'
Packaging manufacturing companies
have plenty of roles available, from
designers and engineers, to sales and
marketing specialists. There may also
be roles in finance and management.

Electronics
Without the electronic manufacturing
industry, everyday devices like PCs,
smartphones and tablets would be
impossible to reproduce on a mass scale.
This is not to mention a host of solutions
in both telecommunications and
datacommunications, plus scientific
research, defence and aerospace.

Because of the state-of-the-art
technology you're working with, this
branch of manufacturing is particularly
fast-paced, exacting and challenging.
There are various paths open to you:
either working for a contract electronics
manufacturer that makes products for
other companies, from prototypes to
production builds, or working in-house
for a specific electronics company.
Whichever route you take, you'll get
to be part of a team whose job it is to
design and manufacture the various
electronic products and hi-tech solutions
that people all around the world use
every single day.
As part of See Inside Manufacturing (SIM),
you can visit real manufacturers and
transform your perception of the industry.
Visit www.gov.uk/government/collections/
see-inside-manufacturing

Sarah says...

you're excited by playing
❛aIfpart
in designing, testing
and building the technology
of tomorrow, manufacturing
is for you. While UK
manufacturing still needs a
bit of a boost, a career in this
sector also presents plenty of
scope for global travel.

❜

J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 1 3 9

JobsAndCareersWithSarahWillingham2016

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