Plastics Technicians

If you are a high school student, you may seek to join the Technology Student Association, which provides students a chance to explore career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, enter academic competitions, and participate in summer exploration programs. Visit https://tsaweb.org for more information. Other youth organizations to join include SkillsUSA (https://www.skillsusa.org) and Skills Compétences Canada (https://www.skillscompetencescanada.com). Both offer competitions.

Your school's career services office or your science or shop teacher may be able to arrange a presentation or question-and-answer session with a plastics technician, or even a tour of a local plastics manufacturer. During these tours, you can observe working conditions and discuss employment possibilities with technicians and their managers. Career services offices may also arrange visits to community colleges, vocational-technical schools, and universities that offer technical programs.

Another way to learn the basics and gain experience in the plastics field is through a part-time or summer job at a plastics-processing plant.