HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A Canadian secondary-school student often starts by taking math, science, computer, and shop or technical courses. Many employers prefer some post-secondary training in process operations, industrial operations, or a related field, while others may hire workers with a high school diploma and provide on-the-job training. Early experience in plants, maintenance support, or other industrial settings can help. New workers usually learn safety rules, equipment checks, control-room systems, sampling, and basic troubleshooting from experienced operators. Requirements can vary by employer, province, and the type of plant, and some workers later gain extra experience or cross-training in a trade.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Operate electronic or computerized control panel from a central control room to monitor and optimize physical and chemical processes for several processing units
- Control process start-up, shut-down and troubleshooting
- Monitor outside process equipment
- Adjust equipment, valves, pumps and controls and process equipment
- Authorize or co-sign maintenance work orders
- Shut down, isolate and prepare process units or production equipment for maintenance
- Sample products, perform tests, record data, carry out statistical process control on process operations, and write production logs
- Develop operator procedures for normal operation, start-up or shut-down of unit
- Participate in safety audits and programs and provide emergency response when required
- Ensure adherence to safety and environmental regulations
- May rotate between different processing units during shift cycles
- May work in a team with shared supervisory responsibilities and participate in training other workers
- May be cross-trained in a skilled trade and work in the trade during shift cycles.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
Attention to DetailsComputer LiteracyMachineryMonitoring