Plant and System Operators Career

Vocational Programs to Prepare Plant and System Operators Career

The following 6 vocational programs are required or helpful to prepare Plant and System Operators.

The tuition, program length, and completion time program information is average amounts over all schools that offer each program. This information is only for vocational programs (i.e. certificate programs) and not for bachelor's or graduate degrees.

2025 Average Tuition and Time for Preparing Plant and System Operators
Program Name	Number of Schools	Tuition & Fees	Books & Supplies	Program Lengths	Avg. Completion Time
Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician	89	$16,947	-	-	-
Petroleum Technology/Technician	34	$20,353	-	-	-
Power Plant Technology/Technician	4	$30,226	-	-	-
Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology/Technician	2	$29,778	-	-	-
Chemical Technology/Technician	62	-	-	-	-
Chemical Process Technology	12	-	-	-	-

Related Occupations to Plant and System Operators Career

The following 59 occupations are related to Plant and System Operators.

Related Occupations toPlant and System Operators
Occupation	Total Employees	Annual Wages	Hourly Rate
Industrial Production Managers	223K	$125,900	$61
Architectural and Engineering Managers	208K	$172,290	$83
Chemical Engineers	21,140	$122,910	$59
Civil Engineers	328K	$101,160	$49
Electrical Engineers	185K	$117,680	$57
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	96,410	$124,190	$60
Industrial Engineers	333K	$103,150	$50
Mechanical Engineers	281K	$105,220	$51
Nuclear Engineers	12,710	$126,950	$61
Petroleum Engineers	20,390	$148,590	$71
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians	10,640	$81,280	$39
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians	97,420	$74,440	$36
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians	73,020	$66,640	$32
Chemists	83,530	$95,560	$46
Chemical Technicians	55,880	$60,920	$29
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health	32,390	$57,470	$28
Nuclear Technicians	5,400	$97,520	$47
Lighting Technicians	9,520	$73,250	$35
Boilermakers	11,130	$73,840	$36
Electricians	713K	$67,810	$33
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	436K	$67,840	$33
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners	27,900	$49,590	$24
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas	12,180	$67,320	$32
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas	46,150	$59,390	$29
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	160K	$64,010	$31
Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers	16,010	$52,550	$25
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment	7,920	$76,380	$37
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	58,320	$69,810	$34
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	24,790	$92,840	$45
Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	47,780	$72,360	$35
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	397K	$59,620	$29
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	413K	$63,690	$31
Millwrights	37,930	$64,310	$31
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	120K	$85,900	$41
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	1,503K	$49,650	$24
Wind Turbine Service Technicians	9,800	$65,380	$31
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other	176K	$50,480	$24
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	29,810	$62,860	$30
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers	47,960	$53,470	$26
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	20,870	$54,340	$26
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	14,950	$46,540	$22
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators	5,760	$121,240	$58
Power Distributors and Dispatchers	9,040	$105,460	$51
Power Plant Operators	31,490	$91,880	$44
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	33,840	$73,170	$35
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	121K	$58,050	$28
Chemical Plant and System Operators	17,980	$79,450	$38
Gas Plant Operators	15,930	$83,020	$40
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	33,360	$88,120	$42
Plant and System Operators, All Other	15,370	$59,890	$29
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	120K	$57,350	$28
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	53,170	$51,960	$25
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	106K	$47,950	$23
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	14,820	$47,540	$23
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders	15,210	$41,500	$20
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	3,008K	$39,760	$19
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators	4,400	$63,810	$31
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers	11,570	$58,650	$28
Wellhead Pumpers	18,230	$69,930	$34

Schools offering vocational programs for Plant and System Operators

The following 161 schools offer the vocational programs and certificate courses for preparing Plant and System Operators. The list includes some 4-year colleges that have certificate or associate programs for the career.