Manufacturing Apprentice
PILKINGTON GROUP LIMITED
St Helens, St. Helens
Closes on Thursday 30 April 2026
Posted on 5 March 2026
Contents
Summary
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a business which has a proven track record of developing apprentices who aspire to become team leaders and managers in the UK and around the world.
- Wage
-
£18,250 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Salary will be reviewed in April 2026
- Training course
- Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm with one day per week being spent at Waterside training
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years
- Positions available
-
2
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
The apprenticeship programme will cover all aspects of our glass manufacturing processes, including time spent in the following areas:
- Hot End (raw materials, melting, forming, annealing)
- Cold End (cutting, snapping, stacking, glass transporting)
- Online Coatings (chemical vapour deposition, value added product range)
- Offline Coatings (value-added glass processing line)
Apprentices will gain knowledge of basic mechanical and electrical engineering principles, leadership skills, quality control, health and safety training, and exposure to non-operational functions (Planning, Finance, Commercial) at our world- class manufacturing facilities in St Helens.
Where you'll work
You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship is available in these locations:
- Cowley Hill, City Road, St Helens, WA10 6UY
- Green Gate Works, Sherdley Road, St. Helens, WA9 5DZ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
ST HELENS COLLEGE
Training course
Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Review instructions or information to understand the task.
- Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
- Identify hazards and risks in the workplace and personal safety and mitigation measures.
- Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Follow environment emergency procedures. For example, make area safe, evacuate.
- Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
- Apply standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Check equipment.
- Select, check, and prepare raw materials for process for example, weighing, measuring, control and blending, conditioning, dissolving, and sanitisation.
- Set and adjust processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
- Monitor process for example, take readings and conduct walk-arounds.
- Conduct the control of product streams to maintain specifics.
- Apply quality assurance procedures. For example, density checks, contaminant check, and take samples for laboratory testing.
- Apply intermediate or post-manufacturing procedure for example, labelling, packing, storage, visual inspection, discharge.
- Manage waste streams.
- Clean equipment for example, boil-outs, steam-outs, bake-outs, steam in place SIP, clean in place (CIP).
- Conduct calculations for example, conversations, tare weight, charge weights, yield calculations.
- Store tools and equipment.
- Identify equipment for handover.
- Apply signage and access restriction measures.
- Shut down the process and equipment.
- Isolate process and systems.
- Complete isolation checks.
- Empty equipment for example, drain, purge, vent, and de-pressure.
- Purge, fill, pressurise and leak test.
- Complete post maintenance equipment checks.
- Line-up equipment.
- Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic for chemical or petrochemical processing.
- De-isolate process, mechanical and electrical systems.
- Complete pre-start up checks.
- Start-up plant and equipment.
- Re-start process.
- Record or enter information - paper based or electronic.
- Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data.
- Interpret drawings and graphs.
- Identify issues for example, defects, deviations, process variance, and maintenance requirements.
- Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
- Apply problem solving and fault-finding techniques.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Make a suggestion for improvement.
- Use information and digital technology for example, management information systems, human machine interfaces, word processing, spreadsheet, email, virtual learning platforms, document sharing platforms. Comply with cyber security requirements.
- Produce written documents for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Apply team working principles.
- Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development (CPD) activities.
- Review instructions or information to understand the task.
- Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
- Identify hazards and risks in the workplace and personal safety and mitigation measures.
- Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Follow environment emergency procedures. For example, make area safe, evacuate.
- Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
- Apply standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Check equipment.
- Select, check, and prepare raw materials for process for example, weighing, measuring, control and blending, conditioning, dissolving, and sanitisation.
- Set and adjust processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
- Monitor process for example, take readings and conduct walk-arounds.
- Conduct the control of product streams to maintain specifics.
- Apply quality assurance procedures. For example, density checks, contaminant check, and take samples for laboratory testing.
- Apply intermediate or post-manufacturing procedure for example, labelling, packing, storage, visual inspection, discharge.
- Manage waste streams.
- Clean equipment for example, boil-outs, steam-outs, bake-outs, steam in place SIP, clean in place (CIP).
- Conduct calculations for example, conversations, tare weight, charge weights, yield calculations.
- Store tools and equipment.
- Identify equipment for handover.
- Apply signage and access restriction measures.
- Shut down the process and equipment.
- Isolate process and systems.
- Complete isolation checks.
- Empty equipment for example, drain, purge, vent, and de-pressure.
- Purge, fill, pressurise and leak test.
- Complete post maintenance equipment checks.
- Line-up equipment.
- Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic for chemical or petrochemical processing.
- De-isolate process, mechanical and electrical systems.
- Complete pre-start up checks.
- Start-up plant and equipment.
- Re-start process.
- Record or enter information - paper based or electronic.
- Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data.
- Interpret drawings and graphs.
- Identify issues for example, defects, deviations, process variance, and maintenance requirements.
- Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
- Apply problem solving and fault-finding techniques.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Make a suggestion for improvement.
- Use information and digital technology for example, management information systems, human machine interfaces, word processing, spreadsheet, email, virtual learning platforms, document sharing platforms. Comply with cyber security requirements.
- Produce written documents for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Apply team working principles.
- Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development (CPD) activities.
Training schedule
Process Industry Manufacturing Technician Level 3.
Apprentices will spend one day per week at Waterside and 4 days per week on site.
Monday - Friday 9am - 4.30pm.
More training information
Additional Training such as Health and Safety, De-fib, First Aid, Vehicles (including forklift trucks), Technical Knowledge and Leadership Skills will all be provided by the business.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 5)
- Maths (grade 5)
- Science (grade 5)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
- This would be a three-year apprenticeship programme. Apprentices may occasionally be exposure to hot working environments and dusty areas due to the nature of the process
- This programme may contain a shift pattern in the latter stages of the apprenticeship, involving shifts covering 12-hours days/nights on a rotating 4-on, 4-off basis
- All our permanent Production roles are on 12-hour day and night shifts
About this employer
As a member of the NSG Group, Pilkington United Kingdom Limited is one of the leading glass suppliers in the UK. We manufacture, process and distribute glass in the UK under the Pilkington brand name, using the most advanced glass manufacturing and coating technologies.
After this apprenticeship
- Opportunities to progress to Process Operator (Hot End or Cold End); Utility Team Technician; or Off-Line Process Technician
- Further progression and development to Team Leader and Management positions with the opportunity to study further qualifications such as HNC and HND for candidates who demonstrate the required attitude and abilities
- Funding for degrees is available, subject to business requirements, throughout your career
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ST HELENS COLLEGE
Lisa Humphreys
lhumphreys@waterside-training.co.uk
01744616592
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000015594.
Apply now
Closes on Thursday 30 April 2026
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.