How to become a planning, process and production technician

Official title: Planning, process and production technicians

Also called: Production planner, Process technician, Production controller, Production technician, Scheduling technician, Production coordinator, Textile dyeing technician, Maintenance planner, Technical controller

Planning, process and production technicians perform a variety of technical support functions to assist production, process and planning engineers with production programmes and schedules and with manufacturing and processing procedures in order to ensure accuracy, cost-effectiveness and efficiency

Main tasks

• Supports planning and production engineers in assessing existing and alternative production methods
• Works from, and helps implement, professional engineers’ drawings and specifications for equipment and layout, and helps implement modifications required for existing plant machinery/layout
• Works with engineers on production control methods to monitor operational efficiency and helps to eliminate potential hazards and bottlenecks in production
• Liaises with materials buying, storing and controlling departments to ensure a steady flow of supplies
• Supports professional engineers in reviewing safety, quality, accuracy, reliability and contractual requirements
• Supports implementation of plans of sequence of operations and completion dates for each phase of production or processing
• Ensures implementation of inspection, testing and evaluation methods for bought-in materials, components, semi-finished and finished products
• Plans and coordinates maintenance activities involved in manufacturing and processing procedures

How to become one

Entrants to training usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Vocational training consists either of full-time study for a BTEC/SQA National award followed by two years on-the-job training, or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 3.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Project controls technician (level 3). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0163.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £36,895 a year The middle half earn £30,081 to null.
• About 32,200 people work in this job now, and about 34,600 are projected by 2035. (+7.3%)

Related jobs

• Laboratory technicians
• Electrical and electronics technicians
• Engineering technicians
• Building and civil engineering technicians
• Quality assurance technicians

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Questions people ask

How do I become a planning, process and production technician?

Entrants to training usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Vocational training consists either of full-time study for a BTEC/SQA National award followed by two years on-the-job training, or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 3.

How much does a planning, process and production technician earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £36,895 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a planning, process and production technician a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 7% by 2035, from about 32,200 to about 34,600 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a planning, process and production technician?

Not always. 29% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Project controls technician (level 3).

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03