Planning, process and production technicians: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 3116 · Associate professional occupations

Planning, process and production technicians

Planning, process and production technicians perform a variety of technical support functions to assist production, process and planning engineers with production programmes and schedules and with manufacturing and processing procedures in order to ensure accuracy, cost-effectiveness and efficiency

How people enter it

Entrants to training usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Vocational training consists either of full-time study for a BTEC/SQA National award followed by two years on-the-job training, or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 3.

What the work involves

supports planning and production engineers in assessing existing and alternative production methods
works from, and helps implement, professional engineers’ drawings and specifications for equipment and layout, and helps implement modifications required for existing plant machinery/layout
works with engineers on production control methods to monitor operational efficiency and helps to eliminate potential hazards and bottlenecks in production
liaises with materials buying, storing and controlling departments to ensure a steady flow of supplies
supports professional engineers in reviewing safety, quality, accuracy, reliability and contractual requirements
supports implementation of plans of sequence of operations and completion dates for each phase of production or processing
ensures implementation of inspection, testing and evaluation methods for bought-in materials, components, semi-finished and finished products
plans and coordinates maintenance activities involved in manufacturing and processing procedures
ensures accuracy of manufacturing and testing equipment
ensures effective completion and implementation of detailed instructions on processes, work methods and quality and safety standards for workers
reviews and analyses production data
plans the cost impact and staff resources for projects

Also called

Process technician · Production controller · Production planner · Production technician

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	18,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	19,300.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	21,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	1,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	1,700.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	22,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	None	2026-03	1,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	2,900.00	2026-03
East Midlands	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	2,200.00	2026-03
London	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	1,200.00	2026-03
North East	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	1,300.00	2026-03
North West	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	1,000.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	1,400.00	2026-03
Scotland	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	1,700.00	2026-03
South East	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	3,400.00	2026-03
South West	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	2,900.00	2026-03
Wales	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	1,200.00	2026-03
West Midlands	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	withheld	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	3116 : Planning, process and production technicians	None	3,100.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for planning, process and production technicians vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 11 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Building and civil engineering technicians · Electrical and electronics technicians · Engineering technicians · Laboratory technicians · Quality assurance technicians · Science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c.