Applications for our 2024 intake are now closed
Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeships
Discover your passion
Take the first step towards building your engineering career while gaining hands-on experience and getting paid as you learn.
From manufacturing to design, our North East based engineering apprenticeship covers a range of disciplines, providing endless experiences and opportunities. Our friendly and experienced teams will support you from day one by guiding you through the programme.
The British Engines Apprenticeship+ Scheme is different to other engineering apprenticeships. We’re passionate about supporting the next generation of engineering talent, that’s why we offer a range of extra experiences to help you develop and learn.
As part of your apprenticeship, you’ll learn extra skills, such as offshore survival, and take part in exciting experiences, like working with our off-site teams on a naval submarine. You may also get to complete further qualifications, such as a degree, a HNC or HND in Mechanical Engineering, opening up even more career options for your future!
Choose from six different routes…
As a Manufacturing Apprentice, you’ll get to try a range of engineering based activities, developing the hands-on skills and experience to begin a successful career in manufacturing engineering.
You’ll spend your first 20 weeks at TDR Training School before joining one of our businesses. From there, you’ll spend four days per week in the factory and attend college one day per week.
What you’ll be doing
- Producing parts using CNC machining
- Learning the fundamentals of electrical engineering
- Learning advanced manual turning, milling, drilling, grinding and welding skills
- Developing hand tooling and sheet metal work skills
- Measuring and checking parts
- Carrying out quality checks
- Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) training
Qualifications
Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Diploma
In years 3 and 4 of your apprenticeship, you could get the option to complete a Level 4 HNC Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, followed by a Level 5 HND Diploma in General Engineering or even a degree!
Career progression
- Manufacturing Engineer
- Manufacturing Technician
- Team Leader/Supervisor
As a Maintenance Apprentice, you’ll support our engineering teams by carrying out maintenance and repair work on a range of industrial machinery.
You’ll spend your first 20 weeks at TDR Training School before joining one of our businesses. From there, you’ll spend four days per week in the factory and attend college one day per week.
What you’ll be doing
- Installing, maintaining and repairing a range of machinery
- Isolating and testing machinery
- Working on electromechanical and process control systems
- Facilities management
- Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) training
Qualifications
Level 3 Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician Diploma
In years 3 and 4 of your apprenticeship, you could get the option to complete a Level 4 HNC Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, followed by a Level 5 HND Diploma in General Engineering, or even a degree!
Career progression
- Engineering Technician
- Maintenance Engineer/Electrician
- Maintenance Manager
- Production Manager/Director
As a Fitting, Assembly and Test Apprentice, you’ll work with our team of engineers producing complex, high value parts, making sure they meet our customers’ needs.
You’ll spend your first 14 weeks at South Tyneside Marine School before joining one of our businesses. From there, you’ll spend four days per week in the factory and attend college one day per week.
What you’ll be doing
- Assembling and producing parts
- Planning resources, tools and equipment
- Testing and calibrating parts
- Carrying out quality checks
- Installing completed parts
- Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) training
Qualifications
Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Diploma
In years 3 and 4 of your apprenticeship, you could get the option to complete a Level 4 HNC Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, followed by a Level 5 HND Diploma in General Engineering, or even a degree!
Career progression
- Test Engineer
- Production Engineer
- Assembly, Test and Service Technician
- Operational Manager/Supervisor
As a Design Apprentice, you’ll learn how to produce technical designs and drawings for a range of engineering projects.
Depending on your starting qualifications, you’ll spend up to 48 weeks at TDR Training School before joining one of our businesses. From there, you’ll spend four days per week in the factory and attend college one day per week.
What you’ll be doing
- Developing and designing engineering solutions
- Creating detailed technical drawings using computer aided design (CAD)
- Finding problems and coming up with solutions
- Communicating designs to customers using sketches, technical drawings and reports
- Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) training
Qualifications
Level 3 Engineering Design and Draughting Diploma
In years 3 and 4 of your apprenticeship, you could get the option to complete a Level 4 HNC Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, followed by a Level 5 HND Diploma in General Engineering, or even a degree!
Career progression
- Design Engineer
- Planning Manager
- Sales Applications Engineer
- Operations Manager
As an HSE Apprentice, you’ll work with our health and safety teams, making sure our businesses are maintaining health, safety and environmental standards that meet legal requirements, customer needs and create a safe and sustainable working environment.
You’ll spend your first 20 weeks at TDR Training School before joining one of our businesses. From there, you’ll spend four days per week in the factory and attend college one day per week.
What you’ll be doing
- Learning the importance of HSE
- Helping to create a HSE strategy
- Developing HSE control plans
- Supporting people across the business to improve HSE
- Solving HSE problems and developing solutions
- Helping to manage and reduce risks
Qualifications
Level 3 Health Safety and Environment Technician Diploma
You may also get to do additional training, such as a National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) General Certificate. Some of our HSE apprentices even go on to do a Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.
Career progression
- HSE & Compliance Officer
- HSE Advisor
- HSE Manager
- Head of HSE
As a Quality Apprentice, you’ll work with our quality teams, making sure our businesses are maintaining quality control standards that meet legal requirements and customer needs.
You’ll spend your first 20 weeks at college before joining one of our businesses. From there, you’ll spend four days per week in the factory and attend college one day per week.
What you’ll be doing
- Helping to create a quality control strategy
- Contributing to the management of supplier performance
- Planning and conducting audits
- Supporting people across the business to improve quality
- Solving quality control problems and developing solutions
Qualifications
Level 4 Quality Practitioner Diploma
You may even get the opportunity to do a bachelors degree in engineering!
Career progression
- Project Quality Engineer
- Supplier Quality Engineer
- Quality Engineer
- Quality Officer
- Quality Manager
Start earning while you’re learning
Our engineering apprenticeships offer a starting salary of £14,170 rising to £23,540.
Once qualified, you could be offered a permanent role with a starting salary of between £29,500 and £36,500.
Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeships prospectus
Find all the information you need about our Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeships in one place.
Download prospectus4 easy steps to engineer your future
- Apply via our website
- Assessment day
- Interview
- Offer
Frequently asked questions
An apprenticeship brings together on the job training and college based learning. On our engineering apprenticeship, you’ll spend four days in the business and one day per week at college.
Yes! You’ll be paid full-time, including time spent at college. Your starting salary will be £14,000, rising each year to £22,000 in your final year.
You’ll also get access to our range of employee benefits. This includes our company pension scheme, 33 days holiday (including bank holidays), cycle to work scheme, holiday buy and sell, life assurance and access to our employee wellbeing app.
Find out more about our benefits.
You’ll need at least a GCSE grade 4/C in Maths and English. Relevant work experience in an engineering environment would be great, but is not essential. As long as you have a keen interest in engineering, enjoy working with your hands and like being part of a team, you’ll be a great fit!
We look for the following skills in a potential apprentice:
- Strong communication skills
- Passionate about engineering
- Good attention to detail
- Willingness to learn
- Confident with numbers
- Enjoy working in a team
- Good at problem solving
- Can think outside the box
The assessment day takes place at TDR Training School in Longbenton, Newcastle. You’ll do two tests in Maths and English, before having an informal chat with one of the tutors.
Our engineering apprenticeship takes four years to complete.
You’ll work 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
Depending on your shift pattern you’ll get a half day on Fridays, finishing at 1:30pm!
Everyone at the British Engines Group receives extensive safety training before they start work. Depending on the role, the below training may be provided:
- Institute of Health and Safety (IOSH) Working Safely training
- Fire safety training
- Lifting & slinging safety training
- Forklift truck safety training
- Offshore survival training
- DSE workstation training
- Environmental awareness training
- Manual Handling training
- Hazardous substance awareness training
Depending on your performance, you could be offered a permanent position at the group where you’ll have the opportunity to develop your career in many different areas of the business. You might also choose to complete further qualifications, funded by us, such as an HNC, HND, or even a degree!
You may be able to work towards achieving incorporated status in your field of specialism, or progress to chartered status in the future.
A great place to start your career
We reward our apprentices…
Not only will you get paid full-time whilst gaining hands-on experience and qualifications, as a British Engines apprentice, you’ll also have access to our range of employee benefits. Whether you want to start a new fitness programme or fancy buying extra holiday, we’ve got you!
View all benefits-
Hands-on Experience -
Get Paid to Learn -
Industry Recognised Qualifications -
Help@hand App -
Mentorship -
Training & Development
Sam Barton
Rotary Power
Colleague Stories
Sam began his maintenance apprenticeship at BEL Valves in 2019 before moving to Rotary Power in 2020. He is currently in his final year working towards an HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
As an apprentice, you’ll get to learn on the job while meeting lots of new people. You’ll get to hear different points of view as well which helps you to develop as a person. I’m really glad I chose an apprenticeship because it's taught me how to be accountable and responsible both at work and in my personal life.
Olivia Knox
CMP Products
Colleague Stories
Olivia was studying a degree in Maths when she realised she wanted to learn in a more hands-on way. She began her manufacturing apprenticeship at CMP in 2021.
I originally chose to do a degree in Maths because I wanted to get into engineering. However, I didn’t really enjoy it because it wasn’t hands-on, so I dropped out. After doing a bit of research, I decided to apply for a job at British Engines. The highlight so far have been the transition from college to a working environment and the amazing support I have received!
Steve Dixon
Michell Bearings
Colleague Stories
Steve started as an apprentice at Michell Bearings and went on to hold various roles in design, research and development, as well as studying for a first class honours degree and an MBA.
There is no substitute for physically handling the tools and materials to accelerate your understanding. The skills you learn during an apprenticeship last a lifetime and transfer from the workplace into hobbies and everyday projects. I firmly believe that the combination of education and practical experience gives you a head start against your competition!
Nicholas Scorer
CMP Products
Colleague Stories
Nicholas Scorer, a Mechanical Engineering Apprentice at British Engines Group company, CMP Products, was awarded TDR Training‘s Apprentice of the Year Award in 2022.
Read the full storyMy favourite thing about working at CMP is being able to just crack on with my job knowing that, whenever I am unsure about something, there is always someone there to give me advice.
Corey Hogg
Michell Bearings
Colleague Stories
Corey joined Michell Bearings in 2016 as a Mechanical Engineering Apprentice and has recently won the ‘Apprentice Endeavour Award’ at the National Make UK Manufacturing Awards. He is now training to become a qualified Design Engineer.
During my apprenticeship I decided I would like to work towards qualifying as a Design Engineer. The team have been really supportive and provided me with training to complete my degree at Teesside University.
BRITISH ENGINES ANNUAL AWARDS 2023
Celebrating Success
We love to recognise the achievements of our people. Taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, our Annual Awards Night is an exciting evening where we come together to celebrate our people, highlight exceptional innovators, recognise outstanding apprentices and say a big thank you to our longest serving employees.
Find out more
Any questions?
Not sure which engineering apprenticeship route is right for you? Get in touch and our friendly team will be happy to help.