BREWERY WORKER JOBS
What is the work like?
As a brewery worker, or brewery operative, you could be involved in the whole beer making process or just certain stages. You would often work under the supervision of a technical brewer, who is responsible for the entire brewing process.
Your duties might include:
- weighing and mixing ingredients
- monitoring quality
- labelling and packing the product
- loading the beer, ready for dispatch
You would use machinery to monitor the temperature and quality of the beer. When the beer has been mixed and gone through the fermentation process, you would transfer it into kegs, casks, bottles or cans for final packaging, before loading it on to lorries for distribution.
Increasingly, the beer making process involves computerised machinery, with only certain work (like weighing and measuring) being done by hand. However, your duties would still include sterilising equipment, cleaning the work area, and keeping records of ingredients.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
You may not need qualifications to start as a brewery worker, although some employers will prefer you to have GCSEs in subjects such as maths and English. You are most likely to be asked for qualifications if, or when, you want to progress and become a supervisor.
You may be at an advantage if you have experience in another manufacturing or processing environment.
You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. For more information on Apprenticeships, visit http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/.
What further training and development can I do?
You will usually receive on-the-job training from your employer covering all stages of the beer making process. You may be encouraged to work towards NVQ levels 1 and 2 in Food Manufacture.
You could also take courses run by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (link www.ibd.org.uk), such as:
- the General Certificate in Brewing (GCB)
- Fundamentals of Brewing and Packaging
- the Diploma in Beverage Packaging
If you want to progress to a supervisory post, the NVQ Level 3 in Food Manufacture may be helpful.
