Manufacturing in the UK includes textiles, shipbuilding, steel, pharmaceuticals, electronics and engineering, clothing and footwear, food and drink, the chemical industry, automotive and biotech industries.

Heavy industry such as steel production, and mass production of consumer items (such as computers and televisions) are moving to other countries with lower production costs. In the South East there is an increasing demand for research and development of new products, such as pharmaceuticals, and new technologies, such as aerospace. All these call for highly skilled employees.

The Manufacturing industry has three main elements:

Employers may be large international groups or small specialised companies and people employed in manufacturing include craftspeople, technicians, designers, surveyors, physicists and industrial chemists. Apprenticeships are a very popular way of gaining entry into manufacturing and can lead to studies to degree level. Some Graduate Apprenticeships may be available.

(Source: jobs4u)

Cross references: Engineering and IT as production is usually computerised

This area looks at just four different job areas in the Manufacturing sector, with three possible career routes for each:

You can get your qualifications by taking vocational courses or studying while in employment as well as by the more traditional full time education route. The important thing is to choose a route that suits you.

Remember these are career pathways, and you can get on or off the pathway at any point!

Mature students without formal qualifications are advised to talk to their local nextstep provider www.nextstep.org.uk One year Access to Higher Education courses give adults without formal qualifications the chance to study at degree level. Contact individual colleges and universities to discuss their entry requirements.

There’s a lot you can do to help your Manufacturing career outside formal learning: