What do they do?

Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.

Also known as:

Auxiliary Operator, Control Operator, Control Room Operator, Multicraft Operator (MCO), Operations and Maintenance Technician (O & M Technician), Plant Control Operator, Power Plant Operator, Station Operator, Unit Operator

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Power Plant Operators is projected to Decline 14 percent from 2020 to 2030

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • -14.1%

    Change

    Ranks #47 in job growth rate
    60

    Job Openings

    Ranks #18 in net job growth

Best colleges for Power Plant Operators

Colleges with the most graduates that become Power Plant Operators

Looking for colleges that offer a specific major? Use the College Match Tool to find your best-matched schools and discover your estimated Net Price!

Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)
  • Master's degree  (3%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (18%)
  • Associate's degree  (20%)
  • Some college, no degree  (32%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (24%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (2%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Power Plant Operators

★ There are no majors that have graduates with this degree type

People in this career often have these skills:

  • Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Operate energy distribution equipment.
  • Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
  • Operate energy production equipment.
  • Operate pumping systems or equipment.
  • Exchange information with colleagues.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.
  • Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Maintain production or processing equipment.
  • Lubricate production equipment.
  • Maintain sustainable energy production equipment.
  • Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
  • Monitor lubrication of equipment or workpieces.
  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
  • Repair production equipment or tools.
  • Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
  • Collect samples of materials or products for testing.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.

College Raptor Loading Screen College Raptor Loading Screen