Food and Drink Maintenance Engineer Apprenticeship - Level 3

AJ & RG Barber Ltd

Somerset (BA4 6PR)

Closes on Friday 19 June 2026

Posted on 14 April 2026

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Summary

Barber’s Cheesemakers is the oldest and largest family-owned cheddar makers in the world. Start an engineering career within a supportive, skilled, and talented maintenance department, which has lots of knowledge about our operations and operations within the dairy industry.

• Wage:

  £16,640 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

  National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  31 days holiday (including Bank holidays)

  Pension (Auto enrolement at age 22)

  Company Sick Pay Scheme

• Training course: Food and drink maintenance engineer (level 3)
• Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. The shift pattern to commence after the 1st year of Apprenticeship and once they have reached age 18.

  40 hours a week

• Start date:

  Tuesday 1 September 2026

• Duration:

  3 years 6 months

• Positions available:

  1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Performing maintenance tasks alongside a fully skilled engineer, as an assistant in a learning capacity.
• As your skills improve, jobs will be undertaken with the fully skilled engineer being your assistant and mentor.
• Work proactively as part of a multidisciplinary team. Communicate clearly and concisely with employees across all business functions to meet the needs of the business.
• On qualifying, you will have knowledge of the manufacturing and packing operations at Ditcheat and of the Ashley Chase Estate sites.
• To carry out any other work or task determined to be within your level of competence, to meet the needs of the business.
• Working within all company policies and procedures, including Health and Safety, Food Safety, Authenticity, Legality and Quality Standards.

On completion, the successful apprentice will be able to:

• Plan and prepare for maintenance of engineered systems in the food and drink industry.
• Perform first line routine mechanical maintenance, including removing and replacing components, cleaning, lubrication, inspection, and fault-finding.
• Apply ‘best practice’ techniques, including condition monitoring and proactive maintenance.
• Produce replacement components, using manual and machine processes.
• Maintain fluid power systems.
• Weld stainless steel and other materials used in food production equipment.
• Perform first line electrical maintenance, including testing, fault-finding, repairing, and replacing components.
• Apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
• Understand the principles of electrical machines, testing electrical equipment and circuits.
• Understand the operation of process controllers within an engineered system.
• Commission and perform maintenance of instrumentation/process control systems.
• Perform maintenance of programmable control systems.
• Understand the requirements of electrical installations.
• Attendance at Bridgewater college on a day release basis to study towards NVQ3 Course reference ST0195 Multi Skilled Food & Drink maintenance Engineering.
• Carrying out such tasks and duties as directed by the Maintenance Team that are calculated to contribute to the requisite levels of performance and competence. 

Where you'll work

Maryland Farm
Smiths Lane
Shepton Mallet
Somerset
BA4 6PR

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

UNIVERSITY CENTRE SOMERSET COLLEGE GROUP

Training course

Food and drink maintenance engineer (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Read and interpret task related information and data. For example, work instructions, SOPs, quality control documentation, Service Level Agreements, specifications, engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information, work instructions, and operation manuals.
• Plan work. Identify and organise resources to complete tasks.
• Identify hazards and control measures to mitigate risks.
• Comply with food safety regulations and procedures.
• Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures.
• Comply with environment and sustainability regulations and procedures: safe disposal of waste, re-cycling or re-use of materials and efficient use of resources.
• Select, check the condition, and safely use maintenance tools and equipment. Store tools and equipment. Complete or arrange maintenance of tools and equipment including calibration where required.
• Follow standard operating procedures and quality procedures.
• Follow site isolation and lock off procedures (lockout, tagout) and re-instatement of equipment with system checks and handover.
• Apply mechanical and fluid power system maintenance practices and techniques. For example, check levels, parts wear, pressure, and sensors, grease and lubricate parts, replace, fit components, and calibrate equipment.
• Apply electrical and control maintenance practices and techniques including use of electrical testing equipment and instruments. For example, panel risk assessment, fixed wire installation testing, fault finding, thermographic surveys, and checking protection settings.
• Apply reliability engineering techniques to prevent or reduce the likelihood or frequency of failures. For example, condition monitoring, oil sampling, thermography, vibration analysis, and ultrasound.
• Install and configure instrumentation or process control systems.
• Install and configure electrical systems. For example, add distribution boards to circuits, single and three phase motors (AC and DC).
• Assemble, position and fix equipment or components. Complete commissioning checks.
• Disconnect and remove equipment or components. Complete storage measures to prevent deterioration.
• Read and interpret equipment performance data.
• Fabricate, drill, and join to produce basic parts, spares or components to measurement and tolerance specification.
• Apply down-hand (flat) TIG welding techniques: butt and tee.
• Apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
• Produce and amend electrical and mechanical engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information. For example, for new component parts or change in circuit diagram or panel.
• Apply fault-finding and problem-solving techniques for example, using PLC data to diagnose issues and locate faults on industrial network.
• Apply continuous improvement techniques to understand current performance; collect and record data. Devise suggestions for improvement.
• Restore the work area on completion of activity.
• Resolve or escalate issues.
• Use information technology. For example, for document creation, communication, and information management. Comply with GDPR. Comply with cyber security.
• Record work activity. For example, asset management records, work sheets, checklists, waste environmental records, and any business or legal reporting requirements.
• Communicate verbal and written. For example, with colleagues and stakeholders. Use engineering terminology where appropriate.
• Produce reports for example, equipment performance reports.
• Provide guidance or training to colleagues or stakeholders.
• Read and interpret task related information and data. For example, work instructions, SOPs, quality control documentation, Service Level Agreements, specifications, engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information, work instructions, and operation manuals.
• Plan work. Identify and organise resources to complete tasks.
• Identify hazards and control measures to mitigate risks.
• Comply with food safety regulations and procedures.
• Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures.
• Comply with environment and sustainability regulations and procedures: safe disposal of waste, re-cycling or re-use of materials and efficient use of resources.
• Select, check the condition, and safely use maintenance tools and equipment. Store tools and equipment. Complete or arrange maintenance of tools and equipment including calibration where required.
• Follow standard operating procedures and quality procedures.
• Follow site isolation and lock off procedures (lockout, tagout) and re-instatement of equipment with system checks and handover.
• Apply mechanical and fluid power system maintenance practices and techniques. For example, check levels, parts wear, pressure, and sensors, grease and lubricate parts, replace, fit components, and calibrate equipment.
• Apply electrical and control maintenance practices and techniques including use of electrical testing equipment and instruments. For example, panel risk assessment, fixed wire installation testing, fault finding, thermographic surveys, and checking protection settings.
• Apply reliability engineering techniques to prevent or reduce the likelihood or frequency of failures. For example, condition monitoring, oil sampling, thermography, vibration analysis, and ultrasound.
• Install and configure instrumentation or process control systems.
• Install and configure electrical systems. For example, add distribution boards to circuits, single and three phase motors (AC and DC).
• Assemble, position and fix equipment or components. Complete commissioning checks.
• Disconnect and remove equipment or components. Complete storage measures to prevent deterioration.
• Read and interpret equipment performance data.
• Fabricate, drill, and join to produce basic parts, spares or components to measurement and tolerance specification.
• Apply down-hand (flat) TIG welding techniques: butt and tee.
• Apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
• Produce and amend electrical and mechanical engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information. For example, for new component parts or change in circuit diagram or panel.
• Apply fault-finding and problem-solving techniques for example, using PLC data to diagnose issues and locate faults on industrial network.
• Apply continuous improvement techniques to understand current performance; collect and record data. Devise suggestions for improvement.
• Restore the work area on completion of activity.
• Resolve or escalate issues.
• Use information technology. For example, for document creation, communication, and information management. Comply with GDPR. Comply with cyber security.
• Record work activity. For example, asset management records, work sheets, checklists, waste environmental records, and any business or legal reporting requirements.
• Communicate verbal and written. For example, with colleagues and stakeholders. Use engineering terminology where appropriate.
• Produce reports for example, equipment performance reports.
• Provide guidance or training to colleagues or stakeholders.

Training schedule

The Food and Drink Maintenance Engineer Apprenticeship – Level 3, is an Apprenticeship over 3–4 years with the University Centre Somerset (Bridgwater College).

In the first year, the majority of time will be spent attending college (up to 130 days) and the remainder in the workplace. This will give a broad basis of new skills to take back to the workplace in years 2 and 3 when college attendance is one day per week.

The current study/workplace structure is (UCS are currently reviewing this method):

Years 1–3 attending college in year 1 – 3 days per week, year 2 – 2 days per week, year 3 – 1 day per week; the remaining hours will be based at our sites.

Year 4 is the End Point Assessment year, and you will be assessed on our sites.

Locations:

Based between the Maintenance Department and Prepack Engineering at Maryland Farm, Ditcheat BA4 6PR.

&

The Maintenance Department at Ashley Chase Estate, Dorset DT2 9AZ. 

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade C)
• Maths (grade C)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Problem solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Administrative skills
• Number skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative
• Non judgemental
• Patience
• Physical fitness

Other requirements

Being Comfortable Working at height.

Ability to climb a ladder.

About this employer

Barbers Cheesemakers is the oldest and largest family-owned cheddar makers in the world and produce our award winning cheeses in the same dairy that we did back in 1833! Our aim is to cultivate and nurture a family of employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders inspired to produce and promote worldwide, consistently great quality British cheese and dairy products of integrity, provenance and innovation.

https://www.barbers.co.uk (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

• Christmas Hamper.
• Family Fun Day.
• Free Tea and Coffee whilst on site.

After this apprenticeship

Subject to successful completion of the Apprenticeship and position availability, the successful apprentice may be absorbed into the Maintenance Team.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

AJ & RG Barber Ltd

Jerald Callan

hr.payroll@barbers.co.uk

01749 862417

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000267540.

Apply now

Closes on Friday 19 June 2026