The rise of online retailing and a drive for sustainability has pushed packaging to the forefront of the minds of many retailers and businesses today. As a result, packaging has become part of a company’s marketing playbook, telling brand stories and engaging customers. And, as technology improves, high-tech packaging is opening a whole new work for customers and companies to interact through packaging.
So, while it’s an excellent time to consider a career in packaging, how do you actually get started? Here’s our guide to help you get that all-important first packaging job.
How to Get Started in a career in Packaging
If you’re looking for a packaging job or you want to get into a career in packaging, there are three primary ways:
- A degree or post-degree qualification in a related packaging discipline
- An apprenticeship in packaging
- Starting in production and working your way up
Each route into a packaging career has its positives and drawbacks, and which choice is right for you will depend on your personal circumstances. For example, if you are a career changer with commitments to meet and bills to pay, you may not be able to take time out to complete a 3 – 4 year degree in packaging design. Whereas an apprenticeship, where you earn on the job whilst gaining the skills for a technical packaging job, maybe much more doable.
If you chose to go down the higher education route, you can either do a degree or a higher national diploma (HND) in a subject directly related to packaging or you could choose a degree in a related discipline, like material science or chemistry. Sector-specific degrees, such as food technology, could also help if you had a particular sector you had in mind.
If you choose to go down the apprenticeship route, there are a few options you can look at. Like the higher education option, they range from subjects targeted at technical packaging areas, like production and design, to more general areas like Sales and Marketing:
Production
A Production apprenticeship will get to work within a commercial production environment. This involves producing packaging using specialist packaging equipment. Production apprenticeships may also contain elements of production management and planning.
Design
An apprenticeship in packaging design will let you flex those creative muscles. You will learn how to create packaging specific for the sector you are in as well as helping to drive innovation in the packaging. You will also maintain digital systems, do some quality control, and run the equipment.
Engineering
Often a good path for someone who enjoys maths, chemistry or physics. An apprenticeship in packaging engineering will focus on the material design and mechanical engineering needed to create packaging.
Sales and Marketing
Suppose you are looking for a less technical role but also wish to take advantage of the growth and stability of the packaging industry. In that case, you can look at apprenticeships within more business and back-office functions. A Sales and Marketing apprenticeship will look at how to market and sell packaging effectively. It will also typically involve elements of customer service and commercial management.
What Soft Skills Will You Need For A Job In Packaging?
To be deemed a desirable recruitment candidate for jobs in the packaging industry, there are additional skills that employers look out for. To impress potential employers, you’ll need:
- Excellent organisational skills, including being able to make smart decisions, set attainable targets, and prioritise jobs, projects and tasks.
- To be able to deal with pressure meeting tight deadlines with high quality and accurate work.
- Problem-solving skills and the initiative to solve problems without too much direction.
- IT knowledge, which is always useful for jobs in the packaging industry, as well as many other industries.
- Top communication skills with the ability to understand a client’s needs and work as part of a team. Along with this, comes the importance of excellent customer service.
- Verbal and numerical reasoning i.e. the ability to critically evaluate numerical and verbal information and use it to make sensible conclusions and decisions.
If you can demonstrate and persuade an employer or printing recruitment manager that you have these skills, your chances of gaining the best jobs in the packaging industry will be greatly improved.
What Sectors Can Your Work In?
Packaging covers a wide range of sectors. Basically, if a product needs to be sold, stored, delivered, or otherwise transported, packaging is needed. So from Pharmaceuticals to Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), packaging skills and expertise are in high demand. Here are just a few of the sectors you could enter:
- Retail and eCommerce
- Agricultural Packaging
- Food manufacturing
- Industrial
- Pharmaceutical
- FMCG
Potential Careers in Packaging
There are many different jobs within the packaging industry to suit a wide variety of skills. From highly specialised jobs, like a Packaging Engineer, to roles in sales and quality control.
So, there are many potential careers in the packaging sector for you to consider depending on your strengths and preferences. Let’s look at a few potential careers in packaging and what they entail.
Packaging Technologist
Usually coming from a strong science background, the Packaging Technologist is responsible for the material design and composition of the packaging. As well as ensuring the correct materials are chosen, the Packaging Technologist also keeps up to date with regulations and legislation to ensure the packaging is compliant from the early stages of design and development.
A packaging technologist needs to wear many hats, often bringing other specialists to the table to ensure everything is right from the earliest stages.
Packaging Designer
Unlike the packaging technologist who focuses on the material design and composition of the packaging, the packaging designer is responsible for the graphics, fonts, colours and visual design of the packaging.
As companies look to increase how their packaging can engage customers and tell brand stories, packaging designers play a vital role, working with copywriters and marketing teams to ensure the packaging becomes an integral piece of the customer experience.
Packaging Operator
Less focused on the design of packaging or its material quality, The Packaging Operator’s job is to ensure its construction. Packaging Operators tend to enjoy problem-solving and mechanical engineering. Their focus is much more on the equipment and process than it is on the packaging itself.
If you are technically minded, a Packaging Operator may be the career choice for you.
Quality Assurance / Packaging Tester
From testing durability, strength and purpose of the material and strength through to checking construction and design, the Packaging Tester plays a vital role in the process, ensuring everything meets the rigorous standards.
Depending on the industry and sector, a packaging tester can be quite a technical role, involving specialised laboratory equipment. The role covers elements of material design and even compliance. Having a rigorous testing team can save packaging companies costly mistakes.
Compliance
Like food manufacturing or pharmaceuticals, operating in specialist sectors means that packaging companies in these sectors need to conform to a country’s regulatory requirements. So the role of the compliance team in many packaging companies is crucial.
If a packaging company sells into multiple countries, they may also be dealing with numerous regulations, meaning their packing will have to change in each country to meet these. Not only that, specific industries, like industrial products, may have rules around how certain items must be packaged to ensure safe transportation and storage.
Failure to meet these regulatory requirements could result in significant penalties and fines for any packaging firm, so getting a strong compliance team in place is essential.
Summary: So, How Can You Start a Career In Packaging?
There are many great recruitment opportunities to be had in the packaging industry. A career in packaging can open up the doors to many different sectors, and you could work in several different fields. While the academic way may seem like the best way in, it’s not the only way. Make sure you investigate packaging apprenticeships and entry-level positions available in your area.
Improve your chances of career progression by improving your soft skills, such as organisational and communication skills, as well as developing your technical packaging knowledge.
