Plant Work Careers

You might enjoy a career in plant work if you:

• Have superior mechanical skills.
• Don't want to move to a large city to earn an excellent salary.
• Don't mind shift work.
• Are a good team player.
• Pay attention to details.

Main responsibilities

Power plant workers are responsible for the administration, operation, and maintenance of electrical power plants. Plant positions typically fall into these key areas:

Operation – Control room operators who control and monitor boilers, turbines, generators, and other electrical equipment.

Maintenance – Welders, electrical technicians, control room maintenance

Administration – Plant supervisors, safety managers, trainers

Educational requirements

Plant positions require at least a high school diploma. Workers receive on-the-job training. A technical certificate or an associate degree in a skilled area is desirable. Some of these areas include:

• Welding
• Machine tool
• Electrical power technology
• Process processing
• Industry mechanics
• Electronic technology
• Plant technology

Consider taking the following high school classes to prepare for a plant worker career:

• Mechanics
• Electronics
• Earth science
• Basic English, math, and reading comprehension
• Computer applications

Here are some schools in this area that offer specialized programs to prepare for working in an electrical power plant:

Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND

North Dakota State College of Science
Wahpeton, ND

Lake Area Technical Institute
Watertown, SD

Benefits

• Paid vacation
• Health insurance
• Annual clothing allowance
• Life insurance
• Educational reimbursement
• Retirement benefits
• Job stability with opportunities for advancement

Salary

According to national labor statistics, annual salaries for plant workers are above average compared with jobs requiring similar education and skills.

 *Does not include overtime pay earned.