Level 3 (Advanced)

Electrical Maintenance

The first part of your training will be spent in the award-winning skills academy, where you learn electrical theory, cabling and wiring infrastructure.

You will then go on to individually produce around 20 small projects, where you will be involved in designing, installing, repairing and maintaining electrical systems.

Draughtsperson

A Draughtsperson is involved in producing engineering designs and drawings for components, control & instrumentation systems, to name a few.

The first part of your training will be spent in the award-winning skills academy whilst also attending a local college.

You will then undertake focused professional placements across the business.

Mechanical Maintenance

The first part of your training will involve learning the basics of hand tools before moving onto the operations of machines such as pillar drills and lathes. 

You will pick up a variety of skills including setting up rigs, maintenance and set up of basic pipe fittings, and making crank sets and frost coils. Other tasks will include disassembling and reassembling equipment such as vacuum pumps.

Mechatronic Maintenance

This role includes servicing, repairing and installing various Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, Hydraulic and Programmable Logic Control (PLC) systems, all of which are commonly used onsite to support the Machine Tools department and Trials & Test Technology Centre.

Precision Machining

Precision Machining is the manufacturing of components on various machines.

During the first part of your training as a precision machining apprentice you will learn basic machining and hand fitting skills through a series of supervised machining tasks, in which you will manufacture a number of useful engineering tools.

Quality Inspector

As a Quality apprentice you will initially be based within the onsite training facility, where you will develop your basic knowledge and core skills, before progressing on to the onsite aspect of your training.

You will learn how to interpret requirements directly from drawings, and inspect various mechanical and electrical components.

Control and Instrumentation – Maintenance

Control and Instrumentation (C&I) is one of only two ‘critical trades’ at AWE. That’s because C&I is vital to the success of our mission, to keep the nation safe and secure. Put simply, C&I engineers enable a wide range of different automated processes to run. C&I engineers create, simplify and automate processes. We deal with systems that measure and control all kinds of things – from the flow of water, to the temperature of a furnace. Our goal is to make sure complex processes can take place at the simple press of a button.

Control and Instrumentation – Tech Author

Technical Authors are the specialists who generate written instructions on how to perform all kinds of technical tasks in a safe, controlled way.  At AWE the role of a Technical Author involves producing documentation that explains how to safely build, support and service the UK’s nuclear deterrent.  To enable you to understand the technology you will be writing about, you will spend three years studying Control and Instrumentation (C&I).  C&I is one of only two ‘critical trades’ at AWE and is vital to the success of our mission.  Put simply, C&I engineers enable a wide range of different automated processes to run.

Facilities Management

As a Facilities Management Apprentice at AWE you will need strong communication and customer service skills and be able to adapt and respond well to challenging situations. There will be broad and varied career opportunities, working every day to maintain the safety, security, and wellbeing of our buildings, and that of the teams who work in them. As an apprentice you will develop a comprehensive understanding of both facility management, and how AWE operates. You’ll need to be a good team player as well as able to self-motivate and influence stakeholders at all levels of the business.

Information Communications Technician

An Information Communication Technician (ICT) provides support to customers, helping them to be productive when using technology to do their own jobs, by using tools to problem solve and troubleshoot non-routine problems.

As part of your apprenticeship, you will move through several placements across the company from Networking and Cyber Security to Coding and Servers.

Project Controls

As a project controls apprentice your role will include supporting the four key areas of business management- Cost Engineering, Planning, Estimating and Project Controls whilst rotating through various programmes around the business.

You will gain an understanding of: Projects Structures – WBS, CBS, OBS, schedule development, baseline management, performance measurement and analysis, business rhythm, cost forecasting and variance analysis.

Lab Technician (Physics)

Experimental Physics at AWE involves the study of unusual materials in extreme conditions.

You will spend the first few weeks of your apprenticeship in the AWE’s Skills Academy before moving out into placements within the business. 

Placements range from working with high power lasers to diagnosing high explosives. During your placements you will undertake and complete various laboratory-based projects which will enable you to develop a complete set of skills and knowledge required to work successfully at AWE.