Power Plant Operators

Also called: Auxiliary Operator, Control Room Operator, Operations and Maintenance Technician (O and M Tech)

Career Cluster: Manufacturing
What they do:
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
On the job, you would:
  • Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
  • Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
  • Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
KNOWLEDGE

Safety and Government
  • public safety and security
Engineering and Technology
  • mechanical
  • product and service development
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
  • manufacture and distribution of products
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
SKILLS

Basic Skills
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
  • talking to others
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
ABILITIES

Attention
  • pay attention to something without being distracted
  • do two or more things at the same time
Hand and Finger Use
  • hold or move items with your hands
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • use rules to solve problems
Verbal
  • listen and understand what people say
  • communicate by speaking
PERSONALITY

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

They do well at jobs that need:
  • Dependability
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Attention to Detail
  • Integrity
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Cooperation
TECHNOLOGY

You might use software like this on the job:

Electronic mail software
  • Email software
  • Microsoft Outlook
Industrial control software
  • Distributed control system DCS
  • Yokogawa FAST/TOOLS
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
EDUCATION


high school diploma/GED or associate's degree
usually needed
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JOB OUTLOOK

New job opportunities are less likely in the future.

Salary:
High: $123,120.00
Median: $97,010.00
Low: $54,080.00
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