High School

The minimum requirement for all tobacco workers is a high school diploma. Maintenance and mechanical workers often need to be high school graduates with machine maintenance skills or experience. They may need to learn additional skills on the job.

Postsecondary Training

The most common form of postsecondary training for tobacco workers is short-term, on-the-job training, during which new employees learn how to operate various machines and perform other necessary job-related tasks by watching and helping experienced workers.

Certification or Licensing

There are no certification or licensing requirements for workers in the tobacco products industry.

No experience is needed to work in most tobacco production positions, but those with prior work experience will increase their chances of landing a job, getting promoted, and possibly earning higher pay. Workers such as tobacco buyers or graders who must judge tobacco based on its smell, feel, and appearance usually need at least several years' experience working with tobacco to become familiar with its characteristics. 

Important traits for tobacco products industry workers include the ability to concentrate for long periods of time and perform repetitive tasks, good hand-eye coordination, a detail-oriented personality, strong communication skills, the ability to work as a member of a team, and physical strength and stamina.