Engineering Fitter Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship is a cost-effective way to recruit a new engineering fitter into your business or to upskill your existing staff. An apprenticeship will enable you to train someone to work in the way that suits your organisation.

This apprenticeship will help you to develop a skilled engineering fitter, who is able to produce complex high-value, low-volume components or assemblies, using machines, equipment or systems to the required specification. Fitters may typically have a mechanical, electrical, control system or instrumentation bias. The apprentice will learn to be proactive in finding solutions to problems and identifying areas for improving how the business operates. By completing the apprenticeship, they should be capable of joining your team as a valuable member of staff.

As the employer you can set the selection criteria, but in order to optimise success, candidates will typically have four GCSEs at grade C/4 or the equivalent, including Mathematics, English and a Science. If you recruit candidates without English or Maths at grade C/4 or above, the candidate will need to achieve these by the end of the apprenticeship.

Core skills which the apprentice needs to develop are:

• Reading, interpreting and understanding the component/assembly specification, diagrams, drawings and work instructions
• Planning component/assembly task – materials, tools and equipment
• Preparing work area for component/assembly task and sourcing required resources, tools and equipment
• Carrying out relevant planning and preparation activities before commencing work activity and knowing how to source required resources and interpret detailed drawings, specifications and job instructions
• Checking tools during and after task completion, identifying and reporting defects
• Measuring and testing, checking/inspecting component/assembly, for example use of micrometers, verniers, multimeters, volt meters
• Problem solving: analysing the issue and fixing the issue where appropriate
• Applying improvement techniques, recommending/implementing solutions where appropriate
• Communicating with colleagues and/or customers (internal or external)
• Completing component/assembly documentation, for example job instructions, drawings and quality control documentation
• Reporting work outcomes and/or issues
• Restoring the work area on completion of the activity, returning any resources and consumables to the appropriate location and house-keeping
• Disposing of waste in accordance with waste streams, re-cycling/re-using where appropriate
• Operating within limits of responsibility
• Operating in line with quality, health and safety and environmental policy and procedures, identifying risks and hazards and identifying control measures where applicable

Modern manufacturing organisations require their apprentices to have a set of behaviours that will ensure success both in their role and in the overall company objectives. The required behaviours are:

• Takes personal responsibility and has resilience, for example: health and safety first attitude, disciplined and responsible approach to risk, working diligently regardless of how much they are being supervised, accepting responsibility for managing their own time and workload, and staying motivated and committed when facing challenges
• Works effectively in teams, for example: integrates with the team, supports other people, considers implications of their own actions on other people and the business whilst working effectively to get the task completed
• Effective communicator and personable, for example: open and honest communicator who communicates clearly using appropriate methods, listens well to others, has a positive, respectful attitude, and adjusts approach to take account of equality and diversity considerations
• Focuses on quality and problem solving, for example: follows instructions and guidance, demonstrates attention to detail, follows a logical approach to problem solving and seeks opportunities to improve quality, speed and efficiency
• Committed to continuous personal development, for example: reflects on skills, knowledge and behaviours and seeks opportunities to develop, adapts to different situations, environments or technologies, and has a positive attitude to feedback and advice

• Engineering Fitter Apprenticeship Standard
• Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)

End Point Assessment 

In conjunction with the College, you will be asked to formally sign-off that the apprentice has met the minimum requirements for knowledge, skills and behaviours within the apprenticeship standard and confirm they are ready to move on to the End Point Assessment (EPA), which will be measured as follows:

• Project Report: this will assess the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in a way that relates to their day-to-day work activity. The apprentice will complete a project during the EPA and produce a report under the supervision of a technical expert from their employer.
• Multiple Choice Test: this will assess the apprentice’s depth of understanding in the knowledge elements of the apprenticeship standard.
• Professional Discussion: held between the apprentice and the independent assessor, this will be supported by a portfolio of evidence produced by the apprentice during their apprenticeship. The portfolio of evidence will showcase how the apprentice has met the knowledge, skills and behaviours required. The questioning will accommodate the type of engineering fitting that the apprentice does and the environment in which they work.

The apprentice will attend College on day release.

Apprentices will be expected to comply with their company’s standard PPE dress code. Any shortfalls in safety equipment will be addressed during the first week of the course.

Completion of this apprenticeship standard will be recognised by the relevant professional institutions as the evidence required for Engineering Technician status.

For those deemed capable and ready, further career development and progression opportunities could be considered, such as a Higher or Degree apprenticeship.

Fitters may typically have a mechanical, electrical, control system or instrumentation bias. The apprentice will learn to be proactive in finding solutions to problems and identifying areas for improving how the business operates. 

You may already have someone in your organisation – or someone who has come to you directly asking for an apprenticeship. However, if you don’t, we have a free recruitment service to help you hire the best candidate for your organisation from our talent pool and can provide external advertising through social media and the National Apprenticeship Service’s website.

If you are an employer and you would like to know more, please email businessenquiries@derby-college.ac.uk or call 01332 387421