Apprentice Towing Tank Technician

Summary

The University of Southampton is offering an exciting opportunity for aspiring technicians to join their team as an Apprentice Towing Tank Technician. This role provides hands-on experience in a state-of-the-art facility and allows you to pursue a Level 4 Automation and Controls Engineering apprenticeship.

Wage

£18,483 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

On successful completion of the apprenticeship, pay will be the lowest spine point of Level 3, Spine Point 22, £30,805 FTE. In year 1 of the apprenticeship, pay will be 60% of this spine point value, before increasing to 70% in year 2 and so on.

Training course

Automation and controls engineering technician (level 4)

Hours

Monday - Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm (to be confirmed).

35 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

4 years

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

To be able, through training and experienced gained throughout the apprenticeship:

Tank carriage operation, wave maker and other facility equipment for students, staff and external clients. The towing carriage is an item of heavy, but precision, machinery with a highly complex drive and control system. Apply specialist knowledge in order to maintain and operate a range of complex precision measuring equipment. Ensure effective and efficient running of the carriage to achieve the best possible experimental productivity commensurate with the stringent procedures to ensure the safety of all personnel.
Gain experience and knowledge to ensure technical support for the facility’s research, education and enterprise activities, designing, developing and building specialist machines and equipment and developing solutions, techniques and procedures.
Liaise with the technical team:

Plan and organise the facility, ensuring a clean, tidy and safe working environment. This will include planning, conducting and maintaining records of a maintenance schedule, providing a repair and fault-finding service on equipment and devices within the facility, advising on future resource requirements and ensuring health and safety standards within the environment are complied with by staff and students.
To comply with health and safety processes within work environment.
To be able, through training and experienced gained throughout the apprenticeship:

Demonstrate and advise research staff and students on techniques and the use of equipment in relation to University projects, assisting in the interpretation of test results. Provide specialist advice and support relating to the use of any equipment or devices and operate as required.
To support experienced staff in the supervision of students and non-technical staff when they are in this post holders working area, monitoring work and freely imparting knowledge gained regarding equipment, specific techniques and safe procedures.
Participate in training and development opportunities as necessary to increase skills, knowledge and qualifications appropriate to the role and in addition to the apprenticeship. Attend prescribed training in the use of equipment and the procedures required to ensure the safe and efficient work.
Any other duties as allocated by the line manager following consultation with the post holder.

Where you'll work

School of Engineering,
Highfield Campus
Southampton
SO17 1BJ

Training

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

College or training organisation

SOUTH HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE GROUP

Your training course

Automation and controls engineering technician (level 4)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

Safety Effective - The ability to work safely in an industrial environment and where required, produce risk assessment and method statement documentation. Be able to apply the principles of functional machinery or process safety including SIL (Safety Integrated Level) and PL (Performance Level) terminology.
Engineering documentation - Production and interpretation of a range of technical documentation (device manuals, operating procedures, schematics, fault reports etc), and working with company documentation systems.
Project engineering capabilities - Support of installation, commissioning, shut-down, start-up and maintenance, service, or support of a wide range of systems and devices.
Diagnostic capabilities - Fault finding, diagnosis, rectification and reporting of automation control systems and controls applications via the utilisation of formal problem solving methods and diagnostic tools or software.
Instrumentation configuration and calibration - Set-up, calibrate and commission a wide variety of field level instrumentation that interfaces to automation and control systems
Industrial Networks configuration and support - configure, assist commissioning and continued support of industrial network solutions at all hierarchical levels of control system integration using the requisite tools and or software.
HMI and SCADA configuration and programming - Make changes to existing systems or implement new configurations.
PLC or Robot configuration and programming - Implement complex PLC or Robot program content and configurations to affect changes to increase availability and or efficiency of automation controlled machinery and the ability to configure PLC and or Robot hardware and program a wide variety of PLC’s and or Robot’s.
Safety Effective - The ability to work safely in an industrial environment and where required, produce risk assessment and method statement documentation. Be able to apply the principles of functional machinery or process safety including SIL (Safety Integrated Level) and PL (Performance Level) terminology.
Engineering documentation - Production and interpretation of a range of technical documentation (device manuals, operating procedures, schematics, fault reports etc), and working with company documentation systems.
Project engineering capabilities - Support of installation, commissioning, shut-down, start-up and maintenance, service, or support of a wide range of systems and devices.
Diagnostic capabilities - Fault finding, diagnosis, rectification and reporting of automation control systems and controls applications via the utilisation of formal problem solving methods and diagnostic tools or software.
Instrumentation configuration and calibration - Set-up, calibrate and commission a wide variety of field level instrumentation that interfaces to automation and control systems
Industrial Networks configuration and support - configure, assist commissioning and continued support of industrial network solutions at all hierarchical levels of control system integration using the requisite tools and or software.
HMI and SCADA configuration and programming - Make changes to existing systems or implement new configurations.
PLC or Robot configuration and programming - Implement complex PLC or Robot program content and configurations to affect changes to increase availability and or efficiency of automation controlled machinery and the ability to configure PLC and or Robot hardware and program a wide variety of PLC’s and or Robot’s.

Your training plan

Automation and controls engineering technician
Level 4 (Higher national certificate) Apprenticeship Standard
You will be expected to be at college on day release and at work the other 4 days

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

5 GCSEs (grade 5-9)

Other in:

Engineering or engineering related subjects (grade Level 3 of NQF comp chart)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Organisation skills
Problem solving skills
Team working
Able to sit aptitude tests

Other requirements

Please refer to the Job Description attached on the University website (https://jobs.soton.ac.uk/3123225DA) for further information about this role and the skills and qualifications required.

About this company

The University of Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group - an organisation of 24 top UK universities committed to maintaining the highest research and teaching standards and creating strong links with business and the public sector. The School of Biological Sciences focuses its research around 7 themes (Computational & Systems Biology, Developmental Biology, Ecology & Evolution, Microbiology, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Neuroscience and Plants & Food Security). Researchers are at the cutting edge of knowledge, working on solutions to some of today’s toughest challenges. While much of our research begins with concepts at a fundamental level SoBS is passionate about using the findings to make a real impact on the world around us.

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/open-days/undergraduate?utm_source=central-general-pmax&utm_medium=adv (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

You will be offered a permanent position at the end of your apprenticeship

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is: