Cementing and gluing machine operators and tenders
Operate or tend cementing and gluing machines to join items for further processing or to form a completed product. Processes include joining veneer sheets into plywood; gluing paper; joining rubber and rubberized fabric parts, plastic, simulated leather, or other materials. Excludes shoe machine operators and tenders.

• 2002 employment: 27,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Chemical equipment operators and tenders
Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels. Excludes chemical plant and system operators.

• 2002 employment: 59,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Chemical plant and system operators
Control or operate an entire chemical process or system of machines.

• 2002 employment: 58,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Long-term on-the-job training

Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders
Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.

• 2002 employment: 18,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders
Operate or tend equipment, such as cooling and freezing units, refrigerators, batch freezers, and freezing tunnels, to cool or freeze products, food, blood plasma, and chemicals.

• 2002 employment: 7,200
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.

• 2002 employment: 45,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Cutters and trimmers, hand
Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.

• 2002 employment: 31,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material. Excludes woodworking machines setters, operators, and tenders; cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic; and textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders.

• 2002 employment: 77,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Etchers and engravers
Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials for identification or decorative purposes. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers. Includes photoengravers with prepress technicians and workers.

• 2002 employment: 9,700
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Long-term on-the-job training

Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines, such as glass forming machines, plodder machines, and tuber machines, to shape and form products, such as glassware, food, rubber, soap, brick, tile, clay, wax, tobacco, or cosmetics. Excludes paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders; and shoe machine operators and tenders.

• 2002 employment: 73,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers
Supervise and coordinate the activities of production and operating workers, such as inspectors, precision workers, machine setters, and operators, assemblers, fabricators, and plant and system operators. Excludes team or work leaders.

• 2002 employment: 733,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Work experience in a related occupation

Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders
Operate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic or food processing equipment. Includes activities, such as annealing glass, drying lumber, curing rubber, removing moisture from materials, or boiling soap.

• 2002 employment: 31,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Gas plant operators
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.

• 2002 employment: 12,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Long-term on-the-job training

Grinding and polishing workers, hand
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.

• 2002 employment: 45,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Helpers—production workers
Help production workers by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers.

• 2002 employment: 467,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Medical appliance technicians
Construct, fit, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices, such as braces, artificial limbs, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.

• 2002 employment: 14,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Long-term on-the-job training

Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients. Excludes food batchmakers.

• 2002 employment: 106,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic
Mold, shape, form, cast, or carve products such as food products, figurines, tile, pipes, and candles consisting of clay, glass, plaster, concrete, stone, or combinations of materials.

• 2002 employment: 46,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers who pack food products.

• 2002 employment: 387,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Faster than average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.

• 2002 employment: 117,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
Control the operation of petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.

• 2002 employment: 39,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Long-term on-the-job training

Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend continuous flow or vat-type equipment; filter presses; shaker screens; centrifuges; condenser tubes; precipitating, fermenting, or evaporating tanks; scrubbing towers; or batch stills. These machines extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids from other materials to recover a refined product. Includes dairy processing equipment operators. Excludes chemical equipment operators and tenders.

• 2002 employment: 36,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Tire builders
Operate machines to build tires from rubber components.

• 2002 employment: 14,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training