Plant Work Careers

Job description

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
Power 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 of the schools in this area that offer specialized programs to prepare for working in an electrical power plant:

Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND
(electric power technology, power plant technology, power processing)

North Dakota State College of Science
Wahpeton, ND
(electronics, electrical technology)

Lake Area Technical Institute
Watertown, SDc
(energy operations, energy technology)

Benefits

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

Salary

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

Job level	Experience	Annual salary*
Entry-level operator	0 - 2 years	$83,000 - $90,000
Control room operator	5 - 8 years	$102,000 - $120,000
Electrical technician	0 - 8 years	$78,000 - $110,000
Industrial mechanic	0 - 6 years	$83,000 - $105,000
Yard/equipment operator	0 - 3 years	$83,000 - $96,000

*Doesn't include overtime pay earned.