CSR Agency UK | Bespoke Educational Social Impact Courses
Process Operations Technician
As a Process Operations Technician working in offshore wind farm energy storage, you’ll be responsible for running and monitoring the equipment that turns renewable energy into storable forms, like compressed hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and battery power. In the Storage & Industrial zone, you’ll focus on keeping the complex systems such as compressors, pipelines, battery arrays, storage tanks, and safety valves operating smoothly and safely, 24/7. Your job ensures that energy captured from offshore wind can be reliably stored and transported when it’s needed most.
Key Responsibilities
Process Operations Technicians in the Storage & Industrial Zone are responsible for:
• Monitoring hydrogen compression systems and battery storage units.
• Adjusting pressures, temperatures, and flow rates to keep storage systems stable.
• Carrying out first-line fault diagnosis and corrective actions.
• Recording operational data and reporting equipment performance.
• Following strict safety protocols around high-pressure hydrogen and battery systems.
• Assisting engineers with planned maintenance and emergency repairs.
What You’ll Most Likely Be Doing:
• Monitoring storage systems like tanks, pipelines, and batteries.
• Operating pumps, valves, and compressors to move energy safely.
• Carrying out daily inspections of key equipment.
• Spotting faults early and helping fix minor problems.
• Following strict safety procedures, especially around hydrogen.
• Logging data like pressure, temperature, and flow rates.
• Supporting shutdowns and start-ups of storage systems.
%20(6).png)
Salary Range
Entry-Level
Experienced
Essential Skills
Strong problem-solving abilities.
• Good understanding of process control and monitoring systems.
• Awareness of health, safety, and environmental standards.
• Attention to detail for spotting early faults.
• Teamwork and good communication skills.
• Basic mechanical and electrical repair skills.
Qualifications and Training
You’ll need at least 4–5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including:
• Mathematics (very important for calculations and measurements).
• English Language (for writing safety reports and communicating clearly).
• Science, ideally Chemistry and/or Physics (for understanding chemical processes, pressure, and energy systems).
Post-16 Options:
• Apprenticeships – You can apply for Level 3 Apprenticeships like the Process Technician or Science Manufacturing Technician apprenticeships after your GCSEs.
• College Courses – You could study a Level 3 Diploma in Process Technology, Engineering, or Applied Science. This builds your technical knowledge, ready for junior technician roles or to move on to higher apprenticeships later.
Higher Education (optional) – Some Process Operations Technicians later move into higher-level jobs by studying:
• Bachelor’s Degrees and even post-graduate degrees in Energy, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering if you want to progress into management or specialist roles.
University is not always required to become a Process Operations Technician, but it can help you move into senior technician or operational management roles faster. Studying engineering, chemical processing, or energy system management can give you a broader technical
knowledge needed to supervise complex energy storage facilities.
Entry requirements for university include:
• 3 A Levels at grades BBC to ABB, often including Mathematics, Chemistry, or Engineering-related subjects.
As for degrees, you could take a course in subjects such as:
• Chemical Engineering - This degree teaches you how different types of energy, chemicals, and materials work together inside machines and storage systems. You’ll learn about things like how heat and gases move, how to keep equipment safe under pressure, and how materials behave inside storage tanks and pipelines. These skills are really important for a Process Operations Technician, because you’ll need to understand how hydrogen, electricity, and fluids are stored, moved, and controlled safely in offshore wind farm hubs. Studying this course would give you a strong background in managing the systems you’ll work with every day. This course can be seen at Swansea University, with the typical entry requirements being an ABB at A Level, including Mathematics and another science subject.
• Energy Engineering - This degree focuses on how energy is created, stored, and used safely and efficiently. You’ll learn about renewable energy systems like wind turbines and hydrogen storage plants, as well as how to design, operate, and maintain the technology that makes them work. For a Process Operations Technician, this is really useful because you’ll be looking after the equipment that stores and moves hydrogen and electricity from offshore wind farms. Studying this course would give you the technical knowledge to understand how all the systems fit together and how to keep everything running smoothly. You can access this course at Loughborough University, and they require you to have ABB at A Level, including Mathematics and computer science or a science-related subject.
Even though these degrees are not strictly necessary, having a university qualification can open doors to higher management and technical supervision jobs later.
While you don’t usually need a postgraduate degree to become a Process Operations Technician, having one can help you move into more advanced roles later, like Process Engineer, Operations Manager, or Specialist in Hydrogen Storage Systems.
Useful postgraduate degrees include:
• Chemical Engineering – This course builds on everything you learned at the undergraduate level and goes deeper into things like advanced process design, renewable energy storage systems, and plant safety. It’s useful if you want to eventually lead teams managing offshore hydrogen and battery storage facilities. This can be found at Swansea University, who require you to achieve a 2:2 or higher undergraduate degree in a related subject to access this course.
• Energy Engineering – Focuses on large-scale renewable energy projects, energy storage technologies, and system optimization. Perfect if you want to specialise in offshore energy hubs and how to keep them running efficiently. This can be found at Hull University, who require you to achieve a 2:2 or higher undergraduate degree in a related subject to access this course.
An increasingly popular route into becoming a Process Operations Technician is through apprenticeships, allowing you to learn and earn at the same time.
Relevant apprenticeships include:
• Science Industry Maintenance Technician (Level 3) - In this apprenticeship, you’ll learn how to keep industrial equipment and energy systems working safely and efficiently. You’ll be trained in things like mechanical maintenance, electrical systems, fluid handling, and fault diagnosis. This is useful for offshore hydrogen storage facilities, where things like pressure pumps, cooling systems, and hydrogen compressors have to be checked and repaired regularly. You’ll also learn about health and safety rules, which are especially important when dealing with hazardous gases like hydrogen. Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their apprentices. However, most candidates will have achieved grade C or above in English and Maths and a STEM-related subject at Level 2 before commencement of the apprenticeship.
• Process Technician Apprenticeship (Level 3) - This apprenticeship focuses on running and monitoring industrial processes safely and efficiently. You’ll learn how to operate pumps, valves, compressors, and other big machinery used in offshore gas and battery storage plants. You'll also be taught how to spot issues early (like leaks, overheating, or pressure drops) and how to fix them before they become serious problems. This apprenticeship is excellent if you want to become part of a team managing daily operations at an offshore storage hub. Typical entry requirements are also 4–5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, especially in Maths, English, and Science.
Both of these apprenticeships are brilliant starting points if you want to become highly skilled in how energy storage processes work.
Awaiting Information - Coming Soon
Training Providers in the UK
Awaiting Information - Coming Soon