What I do

The one thing I wish people knew about my job is that it actually exists! There’s so many jobs within the packaging and technical industry that no one knows about. I implement new packaging and make changes to existing packaging, including artwork approval, dealing with quality issues, looking at sustainability and recyclables, as well as reducing the use of plastic. I also assist with factory trials.

Hear more about Dani's role by watching the video below...

How I became a technician

At school I took A-levels in Biology and Product Design and an AS-level in Maths. I loved product design at school, and I always wanted to do an apprenticeship. I didn’t want to do the university route, as I think that working and experience are so much more valuable. I found this job on the government apprenticeship website.

In product design, we look at development and making changes, and that really appealed to me. I’m the only person from my grammar school who is doing an apprenticeship. I feel quite passionately that schools are not talking enough about or encouraging apprenticeships as an alternative route. It is important to encourage businesses to do this as well, as it helps with succession planning.

A typical day in my
working life

I work 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.

What I like about my work is it has a 50/50 ratio of being at my desk and in the factory. It keeps it quite interesting and, being in the technical department, no two days are the same as there are always issues and challenges that come up.

Most of our projects are to do with reducing plastic or the number of materials used in packaging. I might approve artwork, deal with quality issues in the factory, or help with new innovations in packaging to make it more sustainable.

We are a manufacturing site, so we receive the packaging and implement it into the products. We communicate with suppliers, tell them what we want and then receive samples from them to see if they are any good. We also trial them in the factory before they are rolled out.

I felt very proud when I ran my first packaging factory trials and saw that change being implemented. That gave me a sense of achievement.

I like coming up with ideas and thinking of different ways of doing things.

A little more about
my everyday role

There are eight people on my course, and we are all doing blended learning. There’s a lot of testing in my role. For instance, I recently worked in a vacuum chamber taking samples from the line to check the seals were working correctly. I collated statistics on how many seals failed and how many passed. I enjoyed that process.

The best bits about working in a team

My line manager and I are the two packaging people on site. We work at a dry food site, so we have loads of products people will recognise, including Birds, Angel Delight, Paxo, Bisto and many more. We are a small part of a larger team called the Innovation Team, which is made up of eight people, and we work with all the new things. So, if there is a new product coming to site, we have to implement it, run trials and make sure it all works.

My line manager and I do the packaging side of things and the rest of the team look more at the ingredients side of things. It can be stressful at times, but it’s good – it’s definitely not a boring job! I really enjoy being part of a team as we work really well together. We all communicate really well, and we connect during different elements of the project.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

I haven’t been here that long, but I definitely have aspirations. I really hope I'll be promoted to Assistant Surveyor in the next six months – that’s my goal. Whilst being here, I have been involved in exploring different recyclable alternatives to laminated packaging which has involved making samples. It was a big job, and I was really happy to do it because it gave me a real sense of achievement as it really matters. I’ve also helped organise events like the work Christmas party and other social and cultural get-togethers, which have also felt like achievements in their own way.

The next steps in my career journey

Once I have my qualification and more experience, hopefully I will get a job opportunity here, as I enjoy this field.

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

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