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Glassmaker

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

Job Description - Print Page

Glass is used to make a huge variety of products including bottles, jars and tableware, windows for buildings and cars, lenses, and components for the communications industry.

There are many different types of glass and many different ways of working with it. Some processes are still carried out by hand, but most are automated or semi-automated. Glassmakers may undertake work that involves:

• heating raw materials to make glass in a furnace
• operating a variety of machines that form molten glass into different shapes
• decorating glass by removing parts of the surface with tools or acid
• hand crafting decorative glass items and scientific equipment.

Most glassmakers work between 35 and 39 hours a week, from Monday to Friday. Shift work or overtime may be required. They work in factories, studios or workshops, which may be hot and noisy.

Salaries range from around £8,300 to £20,000 a year.

A glassmaker should:

• have practical skills and be good at working with their hands
• be able to operate complex machinery
• be patient and able to work to a high degree of accuracy
• work well as part of a team
• follow strict health and safety regulations
• enjoy making things.

There are jobs in factories, workshops and glass studios throughout the UK, especially in the West Midlands, London and parts of Scotland. There are fewer jobs for glassmakers as the industry is now more automated.

Although there are no specific entry qualifications for glassmakers, GCSEs/S grades in subjects such as science, art, design and technology are useful. Many people train through Apprenticeships. There are also full-time and part-time college courses leading to HNDs and degrees. There is no age limit for entry.

New entrants are trained on the job, working on simple tasks before progressing to more complex work as their skills increase. Employers may provide the opportunity to work towards relevant qualifications, including NVQs/SVQs in Glass Processing at Levels 2 and 3.

Promotion may be possible to supervisory, managerial or training roles. Glassmakers may also move into testing and quality control work. Experienced glassmakers may set up their own studio or workshop. Some take a teaching qualification and teach lifelong-learning or college courses.

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