This occupation is found in the food and drink manufacturing sector in the dairy industry.
Dairy products include liquid milks, cream, cheeses, ice creams, powders and ingredients, yoghurt, butter, sports drinks, baby formulas, and plant-based dairy alternatives.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide expert technical advice and support on a variety of aspects of dairy production helping to drive a quality culture. They provide dairy technical specialist knowledge in audits. They help investigate operational issues and come up with innovative solutions. They support projects, these may focus on continuous improvement or introducing new processes or products. Developing technical dairy knowledge within the team is also part of the role.
In their daily work, dairy technologists interact with cross functional teams and stakeholders. Internally this may include operations, quality assurance, continuous improvement, engineering, financial, commercial, marketing, and the site leadership team. Externally, this may include suppliers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), customers, and visitors.
They may spend time in the production environment, laboratory, or office.
They may work alone or as part of a team depending on the task. They typically report to the head of quality, plant manager, or technical manager.
Dairy technologists are responsible for ensuring dairy products are food safe and meet quality requirements along with customer expectations. Health and safety, environment and sustainability, financial considerations, and ethical working practices must also be met. They are expected to keep up to date with regulations and dairy product developments.
Typically, GCSE English and mathematics at grade 4 or above.
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
|
Duty 1 Provide dairy technical knowledge to support efficient and optimised production from milk intake to finished product. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K23 K24 K26 K27 K29 K30 K31 K33 K34 S1 S2 S3 S4 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S15 S17 S18 S19 S21 S22 |
|
Duty 2 Develop dairy technical knowledge within other functions (knowledge transfer): such as, engineering, finance, production, continuous improvement, and demand and supply). For example, training and coaching others. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K26 K27 K29 K30 K31 K33 K34 |
|
Duty 3 Identify and resolve dairy product quality issues using resources and stakeholders. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K29 K30 K31 K34 S1 S2 S3 S4 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S17 S19 S21 S22 |
|
Duty 4 Conduct dairy process and product optimisation activities. For example, dairy component, unit operations (a piece of equipment with a specific dairy output for example, homogenisation effect), or production or process analysis. |
K1 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 K32 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S17 S18 S19 S21 S22 |
|
Duty 5 Lead or contribute to cross-functional dairy production process or product improvement projects. For example, product loss reduction, or resource efficiency. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 K32 K34 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 |
|
Duty 6 Support dairy production research and development projects. For example, testing of new or improved dairy processes or products. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 |
|
Duty 7 Lead or contribute to cross-functional teams to implement new or improved dairy products or processes. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 K33 K34 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 |
|
Duty 8 Provide dairy technical input to product and process documentation. For example, standard operating procedures. |
K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K26 K27 K29 K30 K31 K32 K34 |
|
Duty 9 Provide dairy technical specialist knowledge in audits. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K26 K29 K30 K31 K34 |
|
Duty 10 Make technical recommendations based on dairy knowledge, taking account of financial considerations. For example, dairy recipe or formulations, mass balance, fluctuations in dairy prices (commodity), plant and factory running costs, and bill of materials. |
K1 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 K32 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 |
K1: The dairy industry structure. Financial considerations. Ethical business practices.
Back to Duty
K2: Different teams and functions involved in dairy production. Dairy technologist role. Limits of scope of practice: when to seek input from others and when to escalate.
Back to Duty
K3: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Production and operational planning concepts.
Back to Duty
K4: Health and safety. Health and Safety at Work Act – responsibilities. Health and safety culture. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH). The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Manual handling. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Types of hazards. Risk assessments, mitigation methods, and method statements (safe systems of work).
Back to Duty
K5: Principles of food and dairy safety. Allergenic control. Good Hygienic Practice (GHP). Microbiology and food borne illnesses. Biological, physical, allergenic (cross-contamination), and chemical contamination of dairy and related products. Food storage, temperature control and preservation of dairy products. Hygienic design, construction and maintenance of food premises and equipment, and their cleaning and disinfection. Pest control. Personal hygiene and training requirements. Food safety culture. Traceability.
Back to Duty
K6: Food safety legislation principles: Food Safety Act, Regulation (EC) 852/2004, The General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002, The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations, The Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations, The Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations, The Food Information to Consumers Regulations (EC)1169/2011, Food Information Regulations, Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on Microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, The Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations. Sources of information for legislation changes.
Back to Duty
K7: Food safety management control of dairy and related food systems: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Threat Analysis of Critical Control Points (TACCP), and Vulnerability Assessment of Critical Control Points (VACCP).
Back to Duty
K8: Principles of dairy chemistry. Chemical properties. Compositional milk and dairy product analysis. Quality testing of milk and dairy products.
Back to Duty
K9: Principles of dairy microbiology. Types of micro-organisms and their structure. Cultivation conditions and procedures. Aseptic conditions and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP): organisation and discipline within the laboratory. Hygiene monitoring and auditing. Laboratory analysis techniques. Indicator organisms. Interpretation of microbiological data as an indicator of risk.
Back to Duty
K10: Milk and dairy derivatives as raw materials. Primary production. Dairy farming practice. Composition of milk and dairy produce. Additives. Dairy products as an ingredient in other foods and associated allergenic issues. Dairy alternatives (non-milk based ingredients).
Back to Duty
K11: Function of quality assurance within the dairy industry. Quality assurance schemes and factors affecting the Quality Management Plan (QMP).
Back to Duty
K12: Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilisation. Different techniques: chemical, heat, steam technology and ultraviolet - when they should be used. Components of Clean In Place (CIP). New developments in cleaning technology. Environmental impact of cleaning. Cleaning validation, verification, and optimisation techniques.
Back to Duty
K13: Basic physical and hygienic design principles of dairy process engineering: mass and energy balances, modes of thermal transfer, principles of fluid flow, and rheology (deformation and flow of materials - solids and liquids).
Back to Duty
K14: Principles of food industry unit operations. Preservation operations. Dairy industry unit operations. Factory service operations.
Back to Duty
K15: Product development processes: recipe development, specifications, market gap identification, acceptance testing and process design, packaging requirements, and nutrition and organoleptic characteristics.
Back to Duty
K16: Milk processing: end-to-end. New concepts in milk processing. By-products.
Back to Duty
K17: Cheese and fermented product technology. Cheese and cheese related products. Yogurt and related products. Soured creams and crème fraiche.
Back to Duty
K18: Butter and milk fat technology. Butter manufacture. Yellow fat and dairy spread manufacture. Ice cream manufacture. Dairy dessert manufacture.
Back to Duty
K19: The chemistry of whey protein. Whey processing techniques and technology.
Back to Duty
K20: Leadership and management techniques: influencing, negotiation, and conflict management.
Back to Duty
K21: Change management principles and techniques.
Back to Duty
K22: Project management roles and techniques: planning, prioritising, organising, stakeholder management, and risk management.
Back to Duty
K23: Problem solving and fault finding: 5 whys, root cause analysis, Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA).
Back to Duty
K24: Continuous improvement principles and techniques: Plan-do-check-act (PDCA), Lean, 6 Sigma, and Statistical Process Control (SPC). Lean manufacturing tools. Process mapping.
Back to Duty
K25: Data analysis techniques. Data analysis and reporting systems.
Back to Duty
K26: Dairy supply chain: mapping and risk management. World dairy economic drivers. Milk and dairy product supply and demand factors. Food security.
Back to Duty
K27: Environmental Protection Act and environmental management systems.
Back to Duty
K28: Measuring environment impact and environmental audit requirements.
Back to Duty
K29: Dairy automation and process control. Control systems. Instrumentation. Control theory principles. Machine communications and networking. Integrated control and automation systems. Digital manufacturing. Dairy industry automated processes.
Back to Duty
K30: Information technology: Management Information Systems (MIS), spreadsheets, presentation, word processing, email, virtual communication and learning platforms. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Cyber security.
Back to Duty
K31: Communication techniques.
Back to Duty
K32: Report writing techniques.
Back to Duty
K33: Workplace training and development techniques: coaching and transfer of knowledge.
Back to Duty
K34: Equality, diversity, and inclusion. Unconscious bias.
Back to Duty
S1: Apply food safety management systems.
Back to Duty
S2: Apply food and dairy hygiene practice principles.
Back to Duty
S3: Comply with food safety regulations and procedures.
Back to Duty
S4: Comply with health and safety regulations, guidelines, and procedures.
Back to Duty
S5: Comply with environmental regulations, guidelines, and procedures.
Back to Duty
S6: Apply sustainable working practices. For example, efficient use of resources, waste minimisation.
Back to Duty
S7: Apply quality control processes.
Back to Duty
S8: Apply extended knowledge of underlying dairy concepts.
Back to Duty
S9: Identify, review and evaluate, and select scientific techniques, procedures, and methods in the context of new and different areas of work.
Back to Duty
S10: Apply scientific techniques, procedures, and methods to undertake tasks.
Back to Duty
S11: Apply engineering concepts and principles to analyse dairy performance.
Back to Duty
S12: Collect data. Analyse, interpret, and evaluate data, scientific and technology information, concepts, and ideas including use of statistical methods.
Back to Duty
S13: Apply changes to dairy processing unit operations.
Back to Duty
S14: Apply problem solving techniques, identifying issues. Propose solutions to problems.
Back to Duty
S15: Use continuous improvement techniques and make recommendations.
Back to Duty
S16: Apply project management techniques: planning and prioritising tasks, organising resources, managing stakeholders and risk management.
Back to Duty
S17: Conduct environmental impact assessments.
Back to Duty
S18: Develop technical written content. For example, operating procedures, working instructions, and reports.
Back to Duty
S19: Communicate with others for example, colleagues, customers, and stakeholders. Use industry terminology where appropriate.
Back to Duty
S20: Create and deliver presentations.
Back to Duty
S21: Negotiate with and influence colleagues or stakeholders; manage conflict.
Back to Duty
S22: Use information and digital technology.
Back to Duty
S23: Identify training needs. Coach individuals.
Back to Duty
B1: Take personal responsibility for and promote food safety and health and safety.
Back to Duty
B2: Take personal responsibility for and promote sustainable working practices.
Back to Duty
B3: Act in a professional manner.
Back to Duty
B4: Take responsibility for the quality of work and enable others to work to high standards. For example, decisive, self-reliant, and motivated.
Back to Duty
B5: Respond and adapt to work demands and situations.
Back to Duty
B6: Recognise limitations, seek input from others and escalate issues when required.
Back to Duty
B7: Collaborate with others for example, within teams, across disciplines, and external stakeholders, promoting inclusion.
Back to Duty
B8: Ambassador for the dairy industry.
Back to Duty
B9: Committed to maintaining and enhancing competence of self and others through Continued Professional Development (CPD).
Back to Duty
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | End-point assessment plan, standard and funding revised | 01/09/2022 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 31/10/2016 | 31/08/2022 |
Crown copyright © 2025. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence