Back to Career Center
Find More
- Career Center»
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources»
- Architecture & Construction»
- Arts, A/V Technology & Communications»
- Business Management & Administration»
- Career Center Articles»
- Education & Training»
- Finance»
- Government & Public Administration»
- Health Science»
- Hospitality & Tourism»
- Human Services»
- Information Technology»
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security»
- Manufacturing»
- Marketing»
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics»
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics»
- College Center»
- Feature Archive»
- Financial Literacy»
- I Am The Future»
- Virtual Mentor»
Career Cluster
Manufacturing
- Do you enjoy creating or designing things?
- Are you good at visualizing concepts and ideas?
- Are you detail-oriented?
- Do you have good manual dexterity?
- Do you enjoy learning about and using new technology?
If you answered yes to some of these questions, perhaps you would be a good candidate for a job in the manufacturing career cluster. Imagine yourself in one of these jobs:
- factory production worker
- instrument control technician
- electrical equipment installer
- business machine repairer
- quality control technician
- instrument maker
- assembler
- logistical engineer
- safety coordinator
Cluster Definition
Jobs in the manufacturing career cluster involve planning, managing, and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products and related professional and technical support activities, such as production planning and control, maintenance, and manufacturing process engineering.
Career Pathways in Manufacturing
A career pathway is an area of concentration within a career cluster. Each pathway contains a group of careers requiring similar academic and technical skills as well as similar industry certifications or postsecondary education. The manufacturing career cluster has six pathways:
Health, Safety, and Environmental Assurance
Jobs in this pathway help ensure that the workplace is safe and safety and environmental procedures are in place and being followed. Jobs include:
- environmental engineer
- environmental compliance inspector
- safety engineer
- safety technician
- health and safety representative
Logistics and Inventory Control
This pathway deals with keeping track of and moving manufacturing products and materials. Jobs include:
- logistician
- dispatcher
- material handler
- dispatcher
- freight mover
- traffic manager
- industrial truck operator
Maintenance, Installation, and Repair
Workers in this pathway install, maintain, and repair tools, equipment, and electronic systems. Jobs include:
- security system repairer
- computer installer
- instrument control technician
- job/fixture designer
- meter repairer
- business machine repairer
- electrical equipment installer
- biomedical equipment technician
Manufacturing Production Process Development
This pathway involves designing products and developing and monitoring manufacturing processes. Jobs include:
- design engineer
- production operator
- power plant operator
- labor relations manager
- Commercial and Industrial Designer: Sports Equipment Designer
- Commercial and Industrial Designer: Car Designer
Production
This pathway involves making or assembling parts or products. Jobs include:
- machine operator
- equipment assembler
- bookbinder
- factory production worker
- assembler
- instrument maker
Quality Control
This pathway involves making sure that manufacturing procedures are followed and products and services meet standards and specifications. Jobs include:
- calibration technician
- inspector
