How to become a stock control clerk or assistant

Official title: Stock control clerks and assistants

Also called: Depot clerk, Order clerk, Stock clerk, Stock taker, Stock chaser, Stores clerk, Stock auditor, Pricing clerk, Despatch clerk, Goods-in clerk, Goods in clerk, Progress clerk

Stock control clerks and assistants receive orders from customers, prepare requisitions or despatch documents for ordered goods, maintain and update records, files and other correspondence in relation to the storage and despatch of goods.

Main tasks

• Receives and checks in deliveries from suppliers or completed stock to be despatched to customers
• Allocates appropriate storage space in accordance with stock control and space utilisation policies
• Receives enquiries and orders from customers, and quotes prices, discounts, delivery dates and other relevant information
• Prepares requisitions, consignments and other despatch documents
• Checks requisitions against stock records and forwards to issuing department
• Adjusts stock records as orders are received, reports on damaged stock and prepares requisitions to replenish damaged stock

How to become one

There are no minimum academic requirements, although entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is usually provided on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs in relevant areas are available at levels 2 and 3.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Assistant buyer and merchandiser (level 6). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0668.
• Apprenticeship (England): Supply chain practitioner (fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)) (level 3). England. Typically 30 months. Skills England standard ST0201.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £29,991 a year The middle half earn £26,480 to £36,059.
• About 77,000 people work in this job now, and about 73,100 are projected by 2035. (-5%)

Related jobs

• Records clerks and assistants
• Pensions and insurance clerks and assistants
• Transport and distribution clerks and assistants
• Library clerks and assistants
• Human resources administrative occupations

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Questions people ask

How do I become a stock control clerk or assistant?

There are no minimum academic requirements, although entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is usually provided on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs in relevant areas are available at levels 2 and 3.

How much does a stock control clerk or assistant earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £29,991 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £26,480 to £36,059.

Is a stock control clerk or assistant a growing career in the UK?

Employment is projected to fall 5% by 2035, from about 77,000 to about 73,100 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a stock control clerk or assistant?

Usually not. Only 18% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Assistant buyer and merchandiser (level 6).

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