Home

Engineering Operative

Do you want to become a Engineering Operative? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

Job Description - Print Page

Engineering operatives are involved in the manufacture and production of a wide variety of products and services. They undertake basic routine tasks in production or on an assembly line. Some operatives work on outside engineering maintenance contracts.

Typical tasks include:

• building up components and sub-assemblies
• assembling products from trucks to refrigerators 
• fitting electronic components into printed circuit boards
• punching holes or cut screw threads
• automatically assembling items
• using heat treatment to harden products or parts
• putting parts through chemical treatment tanks to clean or coat them
• spray-painting products.

Operatives also work as storekeepers and packers. They normally work a 39 hour week. Shift work and overtime may be required.

Salaries range from around £10,500 a year for new entrants, to £20,000 or more for skilled and experienced operators.

Engineering operatives should:

• be versatile and willing to do a variety of tasks
• have good manual skills
• have good hand to eye co-ordination
• be strong enough to do some lifting and carrying for some jobs
• be able to concentrate on repetitive tasks.

Engineering and manufacturing companies employing operatives are to be found in most areas, although there are more in major cities and in the industrial areas of the UK. No formal qualifications are specified for most jobs although GCSEs/S grades
(A-E/1-5) can be useful, especially for an Apprenticeship. Many operative jobs are open to mature people, especially if they already have experience of work in manufacturing.

Training is usually carried out on the job, supplemented by internal or external courses where required.

Operators training as Apprentices eventually move on to craft-level jobs, with the further possibility of technician training.

More Useful Resources - Engineering Operative:

Do you know of a useful and relevant website that would be helpful to our users? Tell us about it by emailing