Apprenticeship training course

Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3)

Apply a process or processes to create products to a specification.

• Qualification level: 3 ; Equivalent to A level.
• Typical duration: 36 months
• Apprenticeship category: Engineering and manufacturing
• Maximum funding: £24,000 ; Maximum amount government will fund ; for apprenticeship training.
• Also known as:
  • Chemical process technician
  • Chemical production technician
  • Hydrogen production technician
  • Oil and gas process technician
  • Petrochemical process technician
  • Plant technician
  • Process industry technician
  • Process manufacturing technician
  • Process technician
  • Production technician
• Skills:
  Skills an apprentice will learn

  • Review instructions or information to understand the task.
  • Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
  • Identify hazards and risks in the workplace and personal safety and mitigation measures.
  • Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance.
  • Follow environment emergency procedures. For example, make area safe, evacuate.
  • Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
  • Apply standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  • Check equipment.
  • Select, check, and prepare raw materials for process for example, weighing, measuring, control and blending, conditioning, dissolving, and sanitisation.
  • Set and adjust processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
  • Monitor process for example, take readings and conduct walk-arounds.
  • Conduct the control of product streams to maintain specifics.
  • Apply quality assurance procedures. For example, density checks, contaminant check, and take samples for laboratory testing.
  • Apply intermediate or post-manufacturing procedure for example, labelling, packing, storage, visual inspection, discharge.
  • Manage waste streams.
  • Clean equipment for example, boil-outs, steam-outs, bake-outs, steam in place SIP, clean in place (CIP).
  • Conduct calculations for example, conversations, tare weight, charge weights, yield calculations.
  • Store tools and equipment.
  • Identify equipment for handover.
  • Apply signage and access restriction measures.
  • Shut down the process and equipment.
  • Isolate process and systems.
  • Complete isolation checks.
  • Empty equipment for example, drain, purge, vent, and de-pressure.
  • Purge, fill, pressurise and leak test.
  • Complete post maintenance equipment checks.
  • Line-up equipment.
  • Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic for chemical or petrochemical processing.
  • De-isolate process, mechanical and electrical systems.
  • Complete pre-start up checks.
  • Start-up plant and equipment.
  • Re-start process.
  • Record or enter information - paper based or electronic.
  • Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data.
  • Interpret drawings and graphs.
  • Identify issues for example, defects, deviations, process variance, and maintenance requirements.
  • Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
  • Apply problem solving and fault-finding techniques.
  • Apply continuous improvement techniques. Make a suggestion for improvement.
  • Use information and digital technology for example, management information systems, human machine interfaces, word processing, spreadsheet, email, virtual learning platforms, document sharing platforms. Comply with cyber security requirements.
  • Produce written documents for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
  • Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development (CPD) activities.

Full information on Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

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