Proskills: Making Skills Work

Typical Tasks

General Skills required

Experience requested

Qualifications

• As a production worker you could be helping to make any kind of manufactured goods - from kitchen tables to soft furnishings.
• Any particular job could vary just as much - the work might be light or heavy, quite routine or very specialised.
• To operate a machine - setting it up, switching it on and keeping it supplied with material or components.
• To keep an eye on all the gauges and instruments to make sure that it is running properly with special regard to temperature, speed and pressure checks.
• To adjust the machine, or call in the maintenance people if it stops working.
• Also to carry out finishing work you will need to be able to use the correct cleaning products, smooth rough edges off or apply protective coatings.
• Assemble products (fitting items together) or pack them.
• Check the products for faults, and weigh samples to make sure that they are the correct weight.

• This job could be for you if you enjoy practical work.
• Can work quickly and carefully.
• Be able to read and understand safety notices.
• Have good sight and/or normal colour vision.
• When you go for a job you may need to take a practical test.

This will be dependent on the job role at which you enter the industry; however if you have little or no experience 5 or more GCSEs at grade A to C are valued by employers.

There are no fixed entry level requirements.

Qualifications valued by employers may include:

• GCSE’s, ideally grade A to C
• A Level’s
• NVQ L2/L3 in Furniture Production.
• Furniture Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship.