How to become a Confectioner
Confectioners mix, shape and cook sweeteners and other ingredients to produce confectionery, including chocolate, toffee and other lollies.
Personal requirements for a Confectioner
- Enjoy practical and manual activities
- Able to cope with the physical demands of the job
- Neat and clean
- Enjoy working in a team
Education & Training for a Confectioner
To become a confectioner you usually have to complete a traineeship. Entry requirements may vary, but employers generally require Year 10.
Duties & Tasks of a Confectioner
Confectioners:
- Examine production schedules to determine confectionery types and quantities to be made
- Check the cleanliness and operation of equipment before beginning production
- Weigh, measure, mix, dissolve and boil ingredients in pans
- Operate equipment that refines and tempers chocolate
- Assist with coating chocolate bars and preparing chocolate products
- Control temperature and pressure in cookers used to make boiled sweets, starch-moulded products, caramels, toffees, nougat and chocolate centres
- Operate equipment to compress sugar mixes into sweets
- Check batch consistency using a stainless steel spatula or measuring equipment such as a refractometer
- Sort and inspect finished or partly finished products.
Tasks
- Weighs, measures, mixes, dissolves and boils ingredients.
- Moves products from production lines into storage and shipping areas.
- Operates machines to process food product.
- Monitors product quality before packaging by inspecting, taking samples and adjusting treatment conditions when necessary.
- Packages products.
- Operates heating, chilling, and similar equipment.
- Cleans equipment, pumps, hoses, storage tanks, vessels and floors, and maintains infestation control programmes.
- Adds materials, such as spices and preservatives, to food.
Working conditions for a Confectioner
Most confectioners work full time. Senior confectioners provide on-the-job training to junior employees and coordinate work in a team environment.
Employment Opportunities for a Confectioner
Most confectioners are employed by confectionery manufacturers and work in factories. With more experience, confectioners can be involved in developing confectionery items with new textures, colours and flavours. With experience, and sometimes further training, it is possible to progress to leading hand, supervisory or management positions.
Specializations
Confectioner
Confectioners mix, shape and cook sweeteners and other ingredients to produce confectionery, including chocolate, toffee and other lollies.
Average age
45 years
Future Growth
Strong
Gender Share
43% female
Average full-time
41 hours
Weekly Pay
$1,208
Skill level rating
Entry level
Unemployment
Average unemployment
Full-Time Share
76% Full-Time
Employment Size
2,200 workers
Employment by state
ACT: 0.1%
NSW: 16.2%
NT: 0.0%
QLD: 2.9%
SA: 8.8%
TAS: 15.5%
VIC: 53.4%
WA: 3.1%
Age brackets
15-19: 1.4%
20-24: 5.7%
25-34: 18.6%
35-44: 24.1%
45-54: 28.9%
55-59: 12%
60-64: 7.1%
65 and Over: 2.2%
Education level
Advanced Diploma/Diploma: 7.8%
Bachelor degree: 9%
Certificate III/IV: 19.6%
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate: 2.7%
Year 10 and below: 25.1%
Year 11: 9.6%
Year 12: 26.1%
