Engineering maintenance technician apprenticeships - where to start
You can get into this job through
a university coursea college coursean apprenticeshipworking towards this role
University
You could do a foundation degree or higher national diploma in engineering before applying for a job as a trainee technician. You'll usually need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science. You'll need 1 or 2 A-Levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma.
College
You can take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed in the job. Relevant courses include:
- Level 2 Certificate in Mechanical Engineering
- Level 2 Certificate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology
- Level 3 Diploma in Equipment Maintenance Engineering
- Level 3 Diploma in Engineering
- T Level in Building Services Engineering
You may need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a Level 2 course. You'll need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a Level 3 course. If you do a T Level, you'll need
4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths.Apprenticeship
You may be able to do one of the following advanced Apprenticeships:
- Level 3 Engineering technician
- Level 3 Building services maintenance engineer
You could also do a Level 2 or Level 3 engineering apprenticeship for your particular industry, for example aviation, compressed air and vacuum manufacturing or rail.You'll usually need some GCSEs, including English and maths, or equivalent, for a Level 2 apprenticeship. You'll need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for a Level 3 apprenticeship.
Work
You could start as an engineering craftworker and become a technician through on-the-job training.
Engineering maintenance technician apprenticeships - what it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
- the ability to work well with your hands
- problem-solving skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- physical skills like movement, coordination and dexterity
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work on your own
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Engineering maintenance technician apprenticeships - what you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
On a typical day you could:
- organise routine servicing schedules
- share out work to a team of fitters
- check and calibrate instruments to make sure they're accurate
- replace worn out parts and maintain machinery
- carry out quality inspections
- respond immediately to equipment breakdowns
- fix faults on site or arrange for replacement equipment to be installed
- keep production managers informed of progress
- organise teams to make sure that 24-hour cover is available
- complete fault-finding reports, stock control records and risk assessments
Working environment
You could work in a factory, on a construction site or at a manufacturing plant.
Your working environment may be noisy and outdoors some of the time.
You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.
Career path and progression - Engineering maintenance technician apprenticeships
With further training, you could qualify as an engineer in your particular field, like mechanical, electrical or building services engineering.
You could also move into technical sales, maintenance team management and contract management.