Apprenticeship training course

Food and drink technical operator (level 3)

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Information about Food and drink technical operator (level 3)

Working on production operations, setting up, and performing operational maintenance on food and drink machinery

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • The food and drink sector. Food industry regulators: British Retail Consortium, Food Standards Agency. Types of organisations: branded and non-branded, high and low care sites. Types of food and drink products. End-to-end supply chain. Customers and consumers. Seasonal impact on product demand. Current food and drink trends.
  • Food and drink technical operator’s role. Limits of autonomy. Different teams and functions involved in production. Business operation considerations: efficiency, customer satisfaction, competitiveness, minimising risks to production.
  • Food and drink manufacturing methods and processes. How technology supports production. Characteristics and properties of food and drink products: ambient, frozen, fresh, chilled, confectionery, liquid. Handling requirements. Effects of external influences. Packaging types and functionality.
  • Standard operating procedures. What they are and why they are important. What they need to cover and why: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), isolation and lock off, guarding, strip and assembly of equipment, step by step process. Use of visuals and symbols.
  • Food and drink industry quality management standards for example, British Retail Consortium. What they are and why they are important.
  • Food and drink tools and equipment: pumps, valves, lines, gauges, temperature controls, mixers, conveyors, depositors, sealers, touch screen technology, human machine interface, Programmable Logical Control (PLC) systems and handheld devices. Operating standards and equipment set points.
  • Customer specifications: purpose and consequences of non-compliance.
  • Line performance management. Key Performance Indicators. How line performance impacts profitability of the business.
  • Role of line trials in new product introduction.
  • Legislation and standards: Food Safety Act, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Threat Analysis of Critical Control Points (TACCP), Vulnerability Assessment of Critical Control Points (VACCP).
  • Food safety: microbiology, physical, chemical contamination hazards and control. Food poisoning. Personal hygiene. Design of food premises and equipment. Cleaning and disinfection principles and procedures, cleaning in place (CIP). Pest control. Control measures. Supervisory management.
  • Food integrity: temperature control, date code responsibilities, foreign object contamination. Documentation records.
  • Material and ingredient specification requirements: segregation, storage, maintaining product origin, integrity and traceability. Allergen identification and control methods.
  • Health and Safety at Work Act – responsibilities. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Risk assessments. Safe systems of work. Manual handling. Types of hazards. Near miss reporting. Due diligence. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Situational awareness. Isolation and emergency stop procedures. Emergency evacuation procedures. Slips, trips and falls. Safety equipment: guards, signage, fire extinguishers.
  • Environment and sustainability. Environmental Protection Act - responsibilities. Types of pollution and control measures: noise, smells, spills, and waste. Efficient use of resources. Environmental permits. Waste management. Recycling.
  • Types of incidents - fire, accidents, near-misses. Mitigation methods. Incident management.
  • Principles of mechanical engineering technologies and safe working practices: lubrication, hydraulics, fluid power, mechanical, bench fitting, pumps and valves, pneumatics, drives, fitting and hand tools, units and measurements, fault-location, stored energy and safe isolation.
  • Different types of maintenance activities: preventative, reactive. What they are and why they are important.
  • Food safety engineering: food grade oils, safe use of tools and equipment.
  • Problem solving techniques: root cause analysis, 6 thinking hats, DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control), PDCA (Plan Do Check Act). Fault finding techniques: root cause analysis, 5 Whys, fishbone, half-split.
  • Continuous improvement techniques: lean, 6-sigma, KAIZEN, 5S (Sort, set, shine, standardise and sustain), SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies).
  • Audit requirements - internal and external. Five stages of audit. Responsibilities of auditor and auditee.
  • Information technology: Management Information Systems (MIS), spreadsheets, presentation, word processing, email, virtual communication and learning platforms. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • Planning, prioritising and time management techniques. Work management systems.
  • Communication techniques: verbal, non-verbal.
  • Communication techniques: written. Writing using plain English principles.
  • Workplace training and buddying techniques.
  • Team working techniques.

  Skills

  • Interpret, follow and implement food and drink production SOPs.
  • Interpret, follow and implement quality assurance procedures.
  • Monitor production performance, stock usage and rotation.
  • Operate or use food and drink production tools and equipment.
  • Identify hazards (Critical Control Points) and control measures to mitigate risks.
  • Comply with food safety regulations and procedures.
  • Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures.
  • Comply with environment and sustainability regulations and procedures. Segregate, recycle and dispose of waste.
  • Monitor and inspect production machinery.
  • Apply basic maintenance practices. For example, check levels, parts wear, pressure, and sensors, and grease and lubricate.
  • Select and use maintenance hand tools.
  • Follow food safe engineering standards and practices. For example, use of food safe chemicals, check out and in of components.
  • Follow site isolation and lock off procedures (lockout, tagout).
  • Diagnose and resolve issues. Escalate issues.
  • Apply fault-finding and problem-solving techniques.
  • Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement.
  • Collect and interpret information. Use data to apply changes
  • Record information - paper based or electronic.
  • Use information technology. Comply with GDPR.
  • Plan and organise self, others and resources.
  • Communicate with colleagues and stakeholders visually and verbally.
  • Communicate in writing.
  • Identify training needs. Train and buddy team members in the workplace.

  Behaviours

  • Prioritise and promote health and safety, and food safety.
  • Prioritise and promote the environment and sustainability.
  • Apply a professional approach.
  • Take responsibility for work.
  • Team-focus to meet work goals.
  • Respond and adapt to work demands.
  • Committed to Continued Professional Development.
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Engineering and manufacturing
• Qualification level: 3; Equal to A level
• Course duration: 30 months
• Maximum funding: £9,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
• Job titles include:
  • Manufacturing technician
  • Process development technician
  • Process technician
  • Technical operator
  • Skilled production operator
  • Advanced operator

View more information about Food and drink technical operator (level 3) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.