Industry Sectors

Role Description

You’ll be:  

• discussing work schedules with the farm manager 
• carrying out equipment and machinery checks 
• inputting instructions into the cab’s control panels 
• ploughing fields and sowing seeds 
• spraying crops with fertilisers and pesticides 
• harvesting vegetable, cereal and non-food crops 
• using baling machines to bind crops and hay ready for storage 
• maintaining hedges and roadside verges with tractor cutting attachments 
• carrying out basic maintenance and repairs

Role Training

There are no set entry requirements but experience in farming or dairying could be useful. A knowledge of basic mechanics might also be helpful.

You’ll need a Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card to operate some machinery. You may be able to train for this on the job or at an agricultural college.
 
You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Industry body Lantra has more information about farming careers.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no entry set requirements, but a good general secondary education would be useful. 

Experience of working in a kitchen, in hospitality or a catering service may also be helpful.

You could complete a college qualification in catering, but this isn't essential.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

the ability to carry out tasks quickly and competently

the ability to pick up detailed instructions quickly and follow them closely

good spoken communication skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties could include:

supporting chefs in a specific work section

washing, peeling and preparing food items

using a variety of kitchen equipment such as mixers, special knives and cutters.

unloading deliveries

organising the storeroom

washing kitchen appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls

4. Salary

Starter: £11,500 to £12,500

Experienced: up to £16,500

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays. If you're based at a factory or catering business, your hours are likely to be more regular than in a restaurant. Part-time, casual or seasonal work may be available.

Your working environment will often be hot, busy and noisy. You may find this work unsuitable if you suffer from certain skin conditions.

You'll usually be provided with a uniform.

6. Career path and progression

With experience and further training, you could become a trainee or junior chef. You could also progress into management or move into bar work or food service.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

You may find it useful to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, in subjects like English and maths.

A qualification in administration or secretarial skills may help. Employers also value experience, which you could get by temping or volunteering.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• an excellent telephone manner
• skills in IT and administration
• the ability to use your initiative and solve problems
• organisational and time management skills
• 3. What you'll do
• You could work in the public or private sectors or for a charity.
• Your day-to-day tasks could include:
• being the first point of contact for visitors, phone calls and emails
• arranging meetings and taking minutes
• diary management and making travel arrangements 
• producing letters, reports, spreadsheets and invoices
• updating records on IT systems
• photocopying, printing and filing
• handling confidential information

4. Salary

Starter: £14,000 to £16,000

Experienced: £17,000 to £20,000

Highly Experienced: £25,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work in an office, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

You could also work part-time or get temporary work.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a personal assistant or office manager.

You could also move into human resources work, or train as a legal or medical secretary.

Role Description

You'll work in:

• a 'third party' collection agency, paid to collect debts from businesses or individuals, or
• a company's finance or credit department, chasing late payments from suppliers and customers

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• contacting individuals or business customers when payment is overdue
• checking credit records and tracing missing debtors
• setting up repayment plans and working with debt counsellors
• setting up and maintaining customer files
• processing payments
• starting legal proceedings if debts are not paid within an agreed time
• liaising with solicitors and bailiffs
• You may work at a debt collection agency as a 'field collector', travelling to debtors to collect payments in person.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but you’ll need a good level of general education. You'll also need a working knowledge of computer software and hardware.

A college course in computing or IT support, and experience in customer service, will help. 

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

If you work with young people or vulnerable adults, you’ll need clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• excellent customer service skills
• the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical users
• analysis and problem-solving skills
• the ability to prioritise and manage tasks

3. What you'll do

You may work in-house with an organisation’s staff, students or customers. You may also work in a call centre advising the public by phone, email or online chat.

In some roles, you’ll be responsible for telephony and audio-visual equipment as well as IT systems.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• communicating with computer users to find and fix problems 
• tracking work in progress and recording issues and solutions 
• updating online knowledge banks
• servicing and fixing equipment, including printers, projectors and networks
• setting up new equipment and upgrading existing systems
• training people on new systems, face-to-face and online

4. Salary

Starter: £16,000 to £22,000

Experienced: £22,000 to £24,000

Highly Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 35 to 40 hours a week. You may have to work shifts, including evenings and weekends.

You'll work in an office and spend a lot of your time at a computer.

You may have to travel to different sites to help users. A driving licence may be required.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into a supervisory or management role.

With training, you could move into network engineering, database administration, business or systems analysis, IT security, IT project management, training or technical sales.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements.

Sales or administration experience would be helpful. 

You could get into this job through a business and administration, sales or customer service apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent customer service skills 
• IT skills 
• close attention to detail

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• answering customer enquiries over the phone, by email and face to face 
• processing orders, credit checks and payments 
• sending out invoices and other paperwork 
• updating customer records 
• checking stock and re-ordering supplies 
• organising deliveries 
• providing after-sales support 
• typing up documents like letters and reports

4. Salary

Starter: £15,000 to £19,000

Experienced: £20,000 to £24,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll work up to 40 hours a week, Monday to Saturday. 

You’ll work in a sales office.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a sales admin team leader, personal assistant or office manager.

Role Description

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• assessing the environmental impact of agricultural production methods
• supervising construction projects, like land drainage, reclamation and irrigation
• solving engineering problems, like designing all-terrain vehicles to move over uneven ground in different weather conditions
• testing and installing new equipment, like harvesters, crop sprayers and logging machinery
• using  GPS, weather data and computer modelling to advise farmers and businesses on land use
• planning service and repair programmes for machinery
• You may also manage and coordinate sales, marketing and technical support.

Role Training

You’ll need a foundation degree, HND or degree in:

agricultural engineering

environmental engineering

electrical or mechanical engineering

If you’ve got a further education qualification in a land-based engineering subject, or relevant experience, you could start as an agricultural engineering technician. You’d then complete further study to qualify as an engineer.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

The Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) has more information about becoming an agricultural engineer.

Role Description

1.Entry Requirements

There are no set entry requirements. A good standard of general education is important but employers will also want you to have an outgoing and confident personality.

Previous experience in customer service, sales or marketing will be helpful though not essential.

You could get into this career through an apprenticeship.

The Institute of Sales Management (ISM) is the industry body offering qualifications to help you progress in your career.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent communication skills to build trust with customers quickly 
• sales and negotiation skills 
• IT skills 
• a well organised approach 
• determination and a focus

3. What you'll do

You’ll be:  

• contacting customers and businesses 
• promoting products, services and special deals 
• following up sales leads and taking orders 
• updating customer records on computer systems 
• advising customers about delivery times 
• setting up appointments for senior sales staff 
• providing after-sales service

4. Salary

Starter: £15,000 to £18,000

Experienced: £20,000 to £25,000

Highly Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000 (managers)

Some companies offer a basic salary with extra bonuses and commission linked to sales targets.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work up to 40 hours a week on shifts between 8am and 10pm, Monday to Saturday.

You’ll be based in an office or call centre and spend most of your time using a computer. Some companies offer homeworking.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a team leader, senior salesperson or sales manager.