Overview

If you're keen to earn while you learn an apprenticeship is for you. The apprenticeship in Engineering is designed to meet the skills needs of employers. Apprenticeships are offered at Advanced and Higher level. Each level is designed to enable you to gain technical knowledge and real practical experience, along with functional and interpersonal skills. You'll learn these through a mix of learning in the workplace, formal off the job training and the opportunity to practice and embed new skills in a real work situation.

Am I ready to start?

If you have good hand skills, have an interest in how things work and like solving problems then this could be the career for you.

Entry criteria varies depending on the pathway you are studying and the needs of the employer, but a good level of secondary education is expected and many employers expect you to have maths and English GCSE at a C grade or above.

Employers also look for skills like motivation, good interpersonal skills, good communication skills, teamwork and a willingness to learn and will set their own specifications depending on the role.

How does an Apprenticeship Work?

An apprenticeship programme is delivered via a mixture of on and off the job training, whereby you can apply your skills in real work contexts.

The apprenticeship programme usually consists of the following elements:

Knowledge element
This is the technical certificate and covers the theory side of your work which is delivered when you attend College, so that you can put these newly acquired skills into practice at work.

Competence element
This is the practical side of the programme and is assessed directly within the workplace by a Harlow College Assessor to ensure that you are developing your skills within the workplace and putting all that you learn at College into practice
Functional skills: This area covers English and Mathematics

The duration of the course is typically 42 months. Typically you will attend College for 1 day a week and be in the workplace for the remaining 4 days.

What does the course involve?

Machinists in the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering sector are predominantly involved in highly skilled, complex and precision work, machining components from specialist materials using conventional and/or CNC machine tools such as centre lathes, vertical and horizontal milling machines, horizontal and cylindrical grinding machines, electro discharge machines, single and multi-axis CNC machine tools centres.

They will be expected to be able set-up, operate and adjust/edit equipment settings as applicable to the machine tool being used. When using CNC equipment they will be expected to be able to produce, prove and/or edit programmes. During and on completion of the machining operations they will be expected to measure and check the components being produced and make adjustments to the equipment/programme to ensure components meet the required specification.

After a period of foundation skills and technical knowledge development all apprentices will be required to achieve the following qualifications:

• Level 2 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Foundation Competence)
• Level 2 Diploma in Machining (Foundation Knowledge)

After a further period of skills and technical knowledge development all apprentices will be required to achieve the following qualifications:

• Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Competence) – Machining
• Level 3 Diploma in Machining (Development Knowledge)

Plus functional skills at Level 2 Maths and Level 2 English if you do not hold a C/4 or above grade in GCSE.

Down to business, what can I do and what can I earn?

Demand for skilled Engineers is high. Successful completion of this apprenticeship could lead to a range of careers including; Operations Management, Electronics, Design, Aeronautical/Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Maintenance, CNC Programming, Marine. The average salary for a qualified engineer is £35,879 and typically ranges from £28,000 to £50,000 but can go beyond that for experienced and senior engineers.  

You could even progress into further training as a Higher Apprentice, where the HNC is studied or progress into more senior or management engineering roles.