Bottler
Manufacturing

How to become a bottler

You can get into this job through:

• an apprenticeship
• applying directly
• specialist training offered by a professional body

Apprenticeship

You can get into this job through an intermediate apprenticeship as a food and drink process operator, or as a lean manufacturing operative.

Apprenticeship (Entry requirements)

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Direct application

There are no set entry requirements if you want to apply directly for jobs, but some employers may ask for GCSEs in English and maths. Any previous practical experience you have in manufacturing will be useful.

Other routes

You could do the General Certificate in Packaging offered by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. You'll normally need to be working in a bottling plant or small brewery to do this.

What it takes

Skills & Knowledge

You'll need:

• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with others
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be flexible and open to change
• physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
• the ability to work well with your hands
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restriction & Requirements

You'll need to:

• have a good level of fitness

What you'll do

Day to day

Your day-to-day duties may include:

• setting up machines and starting the bottling process
• sorting out any problems with the production line so bottling is not held up
• reporting more serious machinery problems to your line manager or a technician
• keeping machinery clean and sterile, to meet high standards of food safety
• making sure bottles or jars are correctly filled and labelled

Working environment

You could work in a factory. Your working environment may be noisy.

Career path and progression

Career path & progression

With experience, you could progress to team supervisor or manager.