Career Overview
Process control and machine operators:
- Run multi-function process control machinery or single-function machines to process and package food, beverage and associated products
- Work in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, meat plants, breweries leaf tobacco products plants and other food, beverage and associated products processing establishments
Duties
Process control operators in this group:
- Operate multi-function process control machinery through control panels, computer terminals or other control systems to grind, extract, mix, blend, cook or otherwise process food products and to bag, box or otherwise package food products
- Run multi-function process control machinery to grind, extract, mix, blend, distill, ferment or otherwise process alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages and to bottle, can or otherwise package beverages
- Look at gauges, computer printouts and video monitors to verify specified processing conditions and make adjustments to process variables such as cooking times, ingredient inputs, flow rates and temperature settings
- Maintain shift log of production and other data
Machine operators in this group:
- Set up and adjust processing and packaging machines preparatory to operation
- Operate single-function machines to grind, extract, mix, blend, freeze, cook or otherwise process food or beverage products and to box, can or otherwise package food or beverage products
- Check products for defects and compliance to company standards and adjust machine as necessary
- Record production information such as quantity, weight, size, date and type of products packaged
- Perform corrective machine adjustements, clean machines and immediate work areas
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
4,935% Employed Full Time
64%Key aspects of the work in this occupation:
- Work takes place in a regular controlled indoor environment
- Working with equipment, instruments, machinery or power/hand tools can be a source of injury
- Workers may be exposed to steam or intensely hot surfaces that can be a source of injury
- The workplace may be noisy enough to cause distraction or hearing loss
- Workers may be exposed to strong or toxic odours
Career Pathways
There is little movement among the various types of process control operators in the food and beverage processing industry. Process control operators may progress to supervisory positions in food and beverage processing with experience.
There is movement among machine operators within the food and beverage processing industry. Machine operators may progress to process control operators or supervisory positions in food and beverage processing with experience.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
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For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Job Titles
Education, Training and Skills
- Completion of secondary school may be required
- On-the-job training is provided
- Experience as a machine operator in food, beverage or associated products processing is usually required for industrial process control operators
- Experience as a labourer in food, beverage or associated products processing may be required for machine operators
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Academic/Basic Upgrading
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Watching gauges, dials or other indicators to make sure that a machine is working properly.
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
4,935Employment by Region
Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
---|---|---|
Cariboo | 75 | 1.5% |
Kootenay | 205 | 4.1% |
Mainland/Southwest | 3,270 | 66.2% |
North Coast and Nechako | 55 | 1.1% |
Northeast | 15 | 0.3% |
Thompson-Okanagan | 830 | 16.8% |
Vancouver Island/Coast | 485 | 9.8% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2023-2033)
2,210Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2023-2033)
Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
---|---|---|
Cariboo | 40 | 1.9% |
Kootenay | 50 | 0.4% |
Mainland/Southwest | 1,570 | 1.1% |
North Coast and Nechako | 10 | -0.4% |
Northeast | Not available | Not available |
Thompson-Okanagan | 340 | 0.8% |
Vancouver Island/Coast | 200 | 1.0% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
Industry | Job Openings (2023-2033) |
---|---|
Manufacturing | 1,780 |
Wholesale Trade | 130 |
Accommodation And Food Services | 100 |
Transportation And Warehousing | 60 |
Retail Trade | 40 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.