Science Industry Maintenance Technician (Level 3)

Typical job roles

Contributing to the operation of science industry plant by installing, maintaining, testing and repair of mechanical and electrical equipment.

A science industry maintenance technician contributes to the fault free and safe operation of science industry plant by the installation, maintenance, testing and repair of mechanical, electrical equipment and instrumentation. They will be proactive in finding solutions to problems and identifying areas for improving their work environment. As well as core engineering skills, maintenance technicians need to understand and follow working practices that are specific to the safety critical science industry. They may work in varied conditions including using specialist safety equipment, shift work and on sites running 365 day operations. They will be expected to work both individually and as part of a maintenance team. They will be able to work with minimum supervision, taking responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the work they undertake. They may be part of in house maintenance teams or engineering maintenance contractor teams who work for different companies across the science industry.

Science industry maintenance technicians work in a wide range of companies, including, but not exclusively, chemical, petrochemical, polymer, primary and secondary pharmaceutical, biotechnology, formulated products, engineering and nuclear manufacturing. In either case employers are subject to inspection by the regulator for their industry, for example, Health and Safety Executive or Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.  As companies operate under highly regulated conditions a premium is placed on appropriate attitudes and behaviours to ensure apprentices comply with organisational safety and regulatory requirements at all times.

More Information

Typical Tasks

• Installation of process equipment
• Testing and fault finding
• Preparing areas for maintenance
• Carrying out planned and corrective maintenance on plant equipment to maintain levels of product quality
• Decontaminate plant equipment (where relevant)
• Use of technical documentation/drawings
• Update engineering management databases
• Working accurately and safely in line with legislation, regulations and company policy and procedures

Entry criteria

4 or 5 GCSEs at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) including English and Mathematics for a Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard

Typical duration

42 months

Career/progression opportunities

This standard aligns to the core engineering skills required for similar occupations in other industries. This Standard has been designed to deliver sufficient Underpinning Knowledge and Understanding (UKU) and allow apprentices sufficient experiential, work based learning opportunities to satisfy the requirements for Professional Registration as Engineering Technician (EngTech) as defined by the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). Dependent on employer requirements, progression onto higher level qualifications (HNC, HND, Degree) or a Higher/Degree Apprenticeship