Engineering Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship: Dual Discipline

Why choose this apprenticeship?

This training develops technicians who can maintain safe, reliable and efficient plant and equipment, reduce downtime, support compliance, improve maintenance responsiveness and contribute to continuous improvement. Dual-discipline capability gives employers broader technical flexibility and supports business resilience across complex engineering operations.

Who is it for?

Engineering maintenance technicians working in industries that use plant, machinery, apparatus, fixtures and equipment, including manufacturing, processing, utilities, energy and related engineering environments. Suitable job roles include electrical and mechanical maintenance technician, electrical and instrumentation technician, control, instrumentation and automation technician, maintenance technician and engineering technician.

What is taught?

• Apprentices develop dual-discipline maintenance skills across planned, preventative and reactive maintenance.
• Depending on chosen pathway, this includes electrical and mechanical systems or electrical, control and instrumentation systems such as motors, power supplies, electrical distribution, PLCs, flow meters, safety controls, actuators, pumps, valves, gearboxes and pipework.
• Training covers safe systems of work, fault finding, repair, testing, handover, work records, communication, environmental practice and continuous improvement.

Delivery model

• Delivery can be shaped around the employer and apprentice where possible.
• Day release with workplace learning enables apprentices to build technical competence while applying learning through planned maintenance, breakdown response, testing, documentation and improvement activity in their own workplace.

Employer considerations

• Apprentices need planned time away from work for training
• They need access to suitable plant and maintenance tasks to be able to put their learning into practice
• Supervision from experienced maintenance staff and opportunities to gather evidence from real workplace activity.
• Participation in a skills scan and before learning will shape the training plan, with progress reviews helping managers monitor safety, competence, productivity, workload and readiness for assessment.

What happens next?

Progression to maintenance engineering technician, lead engineering maintenance technician, automation and controls engineering technician, reliability technician, maintenance team leader, engineering supervisor or higher-level engineering pathways including systems, manufacturing and through-life engineering roles.

Why choose Gateshead College?

• Gateshead College provides employer-shaped engineering and manufacturing training that supports practical workplace application, technical confidence, safety, professional behaviours and progression into higher-level maintenance and engineering roles.
• Apprentices are supported by experienced tutors and apprenticeship teams who work with employers to align learning to operational priorities, maintenance standards and measurable business outcomes.