A high school diploma or GED will be necessary, but training will also be given on the job. Two-year associate degrees can be obtained in food service, baking, or culinary arts. There may be apprenticeship opportunities. A food batchmaker will have to give full attention to other people and ask questions. They will have to manage their own and other people's time. Skills of logic will be required. The worker will need to be familiar with raw materials, processes, quality control, and cost. They will have to follow specific rules.

Anyone working with the processing of food must have a high standard of personal hygiene. Workers will have to wash their hands frequently and wear protective clothing including overalls, masks, gloves, and hair nets. An ability to see objects at close range is required, in addition to manual dexterity and an eye for detail. Machinery will have to be adjusted quickly and repeatedly. A degree of trunk strength is necessary, concentrating on the abdominal and lower back muscles, which will have to be exercised repeatedly and over time. A worker would have to stand for extended periods. There could be a requirement to lift objects weighing as much as 50lbs. Food allergies would make a candidate ineligible, as any worker would come into direct contact with foodstuffs. Workers must be able to work unsupervised. Night shifts sometimes are required.