Process manufacturing

Characteristics and trends

The Process manufacturing industry refers to five main sectors.  These are:

1. Chemical, hydrocarbons & oil refining:  Sub-sectors include oil and gas extraction, oil refining, coal processing, minerals processing, and chemical product manufacturing.
2. Plastics, rubber & cable making:  Sub-sectors are rubber and plastic product manufacturing, electrical cable and wire manufacturing.
3. Manufactured mineral products: Sub-sectors include concrete products, cement manufacturing, glass products manufacturing, lime and plaster manufacturing, abrasives, acoustics tiles and panels, fibre cement products, clay and ceramics products and stone masonry.
4. Iron and steel manufacturing.
5. Laboratory operations: sub-sectors include laboratory and technical officers working in food and beverage manufacturing, construction materials testing, scientific glassblowing, biomedical and pathology and water.

The process manufacturing industries employ about 160,000 people. Employment is spread fairly evenly across the sectors and there has been a gradual decline in the numbers of people employed due to introduction of advanced technology and increased productivity.  The one area of projected employment growth is in the laboratory and scientific occupations. 

Employment in the industry is concentrated in larger organisations.  Employment is largely full-time and few women or indigenous people are employed in these industries.  The existing workforce is also ageing with a strong representation of employees aged 45 or over.  As such, the attraction of young people into the industry is a major priority. 

Key issues facing the industry include:

• Skills and industry competitiveness – tariff reduction and global competition places pressure for productivity and innovation;
• Demographic issues – the existing workforce has low formal qualifications and a dependence on unstructured and informal skills acquisition, and a bias towards older workers;
• The changing workplace – new work arrangements demand higher levels of problem solving, communication and technical skills.  Advanced technical skills will increasingly be expected of employees;
• The regulatory environment – increasing regulations apply to occupational health and safety as well as environmental management;
• Issues relating to VET arrangements – there is still a lack of nationally consistent training delivery and coordination for increasing skills training requirements.

Employment

Employment opportunities vary across the sector.  The largest employment sectors are chemical and basic chemical product manufacturing, rubber and plastic product manufacturing and medical and science technical officers.   Entry-level jobs are diverse in the industry but some main types of jobs include work as a laboratory assistant or technician, polymer technician, plant operator, building products (cement, ceramics, clay, concrete, glass) plant technician or operator.  Essentially, jobs in this industry involve being part of the process of making or refining products.  For a detailed description of jobs in this industry, see www.makeit.net.au.

Qualifications, education and experience

Due to the ageing profile of the workforce, there is industry recognition for the need to recruit younger employees.  Almost half of industry employees have no post-school qualifications but the need to be able to undertake structured workplace training will only increase.  Traditionally, a primary method of recruitment was to attract teenage apprentices but this is no longer working for the industry.  The industry is looking to recruit people capable of lifelong learning and development, rather than recruiting individuals for a specific job.  There is also a strong recognition of the need to employ women and people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to broaden the recruitment pool.

What an employer might ask

As with all jobs, there will be general questions that an employer will want to ask.  These include questions about your employment and education background, your interests, your understanding of the job requirements, your availability and your plans for the future.  Most jobs in this sector require basic skills with technology, an ability to learn, communication skills and reliability.  A reasonable level of physical fitness is important in many sectors as well as compliance with occupational, health and safety procedures. Working in teams is also increasingly important. As such, a priority will be placed on your ability to work as part of team, follow procedures and learn new skills.  As with all jobs, a positive attitude to work is highly valued by employers.   A driver’s licence is also useful due to the regional or remote locations of many employers in this industry. 

Employment wages and conditions

Wages vary across the industry but due to the predominance of large employers, work is generally highly regulated and well rewarded. Most employers have enterprise agreements in place that provide good base rates of employment with opportunities for penalty rates to be paid for overtime or shift work.  Wages increase with training, time served and experience.  A search for relevant industry rates can be done at www.wagenet.gov.au through searching under the categories chemicals, plastics and rubber, minerals, iron and steel and laboratory operations.  Roughly, an entry-level employee can expect to earn at least $450 - $600 per week.  Percentages of these rates are paid for trainees and apprentices or for junior or part-time employees.  Important awards and rulings include the Miscellaneous Worker Chemical Industry Consolidated Award, 1987, the Coal Mining Industry Award, the National Joinery and Building Trades Products Award as just a few examples. 

Training

Qualifications ranging from Certificate III to Advanced Diploma level are set out in four training packages including: