Packing Operative / Manager
Job facts
- Packing helps to protect products during transportation
- Packing Managers can earn up to £60,000
- Employers include manufacturers, retailers, mail order companies and shipping companies
Packing Operatives (also known as Packers) pack products. Products are packed to protect them during transportation, give them an identifiable and desirable appearance for display and to preserve any contents that are perishable. Packing Managers run packing operations. They draw up work schedules and supervise Packing Operatives.
Packing Operatives and Managers often work shifts, including evenings, nights and weekends. Part-time work is common and overtime is often available. Temporary work is possible. Salaries range from between £9,200 and £11,000 for newly-appointed operatives to between £20,000 and £60,000 a year for managers.
A Packing Operative should:
- be able to follow instructions
- be aware of health and safety regulations
- be good at working with their hands
- be able to use machinery and packing tools
A Packing Manager should:
- have good organisational skills
- be able to manage and motivate a team
- be able to solve problems
- have good communication skills
Employers include manufacturers, retailers, mail order companies, distribution and storage organisations, shipping companies, removals firms and export companies. They also include contract packing firms that undertake packing on behalf of other organisations.
Packing Operatives do not usually need any educational qualifications. However, some key skills qualifications – such as GCSEs, the Diploma in Retail Business or Diploma in Manufacturing and Product design – could be useful. Some people enter this work through an Apprenticeship in warehousing and storage or food manufacture. There is no set route to become a Packing Manager. Some employers may require qualifications such as a Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma or a degree.
Want to know more?
- Read the job profile on Jobs4U
- Read the job profile on Careers Scotland (Packer – Heavy Goods)
