Most needed skills or education for maintenance in food production
Just wondering what kind of skills and/or diplomas fit the description of someone in food production. Unlike QC or management (business degrees), what kind of education or skills trade learning should someone working in maintenance in a food production facility be trained in?
We mainly just look for experience, especially if they have worked in a food facility before. Most of the training will take place on site whether its food safety, HACCP, general health & safety (OSHA) etc. or we send them to those training to become more familiar.
So experience will be more effective than going to school for millwright, electrician, welding, or Hvac?
All the maintenance workers I have worked with in food facilities have experience in welding, HVAC, milling, basic plumbing & electric, etc. We have always hired out major electrician work but if they have experience or a certification in that then that is a plus. I would just look for experience in those areas and not necessarily certifications, although certifications may be preferred. In my opinion and experience, putting that schooling or certifications are required may make some individuals shy away from applying when they may be the best fit person for the job!
You also don't want to bring someone in who is just going to sit around and hire out jobs for every little maintenance issue that you are having. That will get costly and is no help to your company.
I always use the following;
High School diploma or GED and 2+ years of maintenance or process/project engineering experience; required.
Degree in Engineering and previous leadership experience, preferred.
Advanced technical skills in ________________, preferred. - Include some things specific to your facility that the maintenance person will need to have knowledge in. Maybe as it relates to refrigeration, boilers, roasters, etc.
Hope this helps!
In Canada the rules are different depending on the size and type of facility you have
You probably want a member who's a certified electrician (not really needing red seal) and a millwright
If you've got a cooling system with ammonia you need a Class A refrigeration person and may want someone else to have a Class B
In Canada the rules are different depending on the size and type of facility you have
You probably want a member who's a certified electrician (not really needing red seal) and a millwright
If you've got a cooling system with ammonia you need a Class A refrigeration person and may want someone else to have a Class B
it's interesting, I didn't know this information.