3311 Non-commissioned officers and other ranks

In short

• ONS unit group 3311, in minor group 331 (Protective service occupations) and major group 3 (Associate professional occupations).
• Appendix Skilled Occupations (figures as at 3 August 2026, re-checked 26 October 2026): Not on the list: Table 6.
• Going rate as the tables print it:

What the ONS says

Description

Those holding jobs in this unit group are full-time members of the armed forces of the UK, the Commonwealth and other foreign countries and perform military duties for which there is no civilian equivalent.

Typical entry routes

For most positions entry does not depend upon academic qualifications. Entrants generally have to pass a selection interview and physical and medical examinations. Entry to certain trades requires GCSEs/S grades or equivalent qualifications.

Tasks

• receives and responds to commands from senior officers
• monitors, operates, services and repairs military equipment
• takes part in military operations in situations of conflict and provides aid if required in emergency situations such as civil disorder, natural disasters and major accidents
• engages in peacekeeping operations and enforces ceasefire agreements
• stands watch and guards military establishments and other buildings
• trains and exercises using various military equipment and tactics
• undertakes specialist activities such as operating communications equipment, driving military vehicles
• patrols areas of possible military activity
• leads and trains new recruits and lower ranks, looks after their discipline and welfare

Related job titles

• Aircraftman
• Aircraft technician (armed forces)
• Lance-corporal
• Sergeant (armed forces)
• Soldier
• Weapons engineer (armed forces)

What the Appendix Skilled Occupations says

The Appendix lists this code in the table below, with the table’s own caption and the row as printed. Read the full table, and any condition in it, on GOV.UK.

Table 6: SOC 2020 occupation codes which are not eligible for the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility or Scale-up routes

SOC 2020 occupation code

3311 Non-commissioned officers and other ranks

Examples of related job titles (non-exhaustive)

• Aircraftman
• Aircraft technician (armed forces)
• Lance-corporal
• Sergeant (armed forces)
• Soldier
• Weapons engineer (armed forces)

Other unit groups in minor group 331

• 3312 Police officers (sergeant and below)
• 3313 Fire service officers (watch manager and below)
• 3314 Prison service officers (below principal officer)
• 3319 Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.

Sources

Occupation text: Office for National Statistics, SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (file dated 27 August 2026, version V13). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0. Tables: Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations on GOV.UK, page updated 3 August 2026; re-checked against the page updated 8 October 2026 on 26 October 2026, tables unchanged.

All 412 occupation codes

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