Electrical and Mechanical Degree Apprenticeship (Level 6) – Energy Industry

DNV

Brampton (CA8 7AU)

Closes in 26 days (Sunday 22 March 2026)

Posted on 23 February 2026

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Summary

As a Degree Apprentice, you’ll work alongside more than 100 specialists at Spadeadam, gaining hands‑on experience in electrical and mechanical activities across a wide range of client projects — from gas explosion and fire testing to hydrogen‑powered homes and next‑generation energy systems.

• Wage:

  £20,000 a year

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  You’ll receive £2k salary increases for each completed apprenticeship year, alongside annual pay reviews. From year 2 onwards, we also ensure your salary meets National Minimum Wage requirements, where applicable.

• Training course: Electro-mechanical engineer (level 6)
• Hours: You’ll join on a permanent contract in August, allowing you time to settle in to your new role, before commencing your Degree Apprenticeship course a few weeks later. Typically, most people start between 8.00am and 9.00am and leave between 4.00pm and 5.00pm, Monday - Friday.

  37 hours 30 minutes a week

• Start date:

  Monday 17 August 2026

• Duration:

  5 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

As a Degree Apprentice, you’ll work alongside our world leading experts on one of the most unique sites anywhere in the world. 

Our site includes full scale test houses, hydrogen pipelines, specialist fire facilities, and the Lord Cullen Training Centre, where people from around the world come to learn about major hazards. This means you won’t just be developing practical skills and studying — you’ll be supporting real tests, hands on demonstrations, and the science behind keeping people and industries safe. 

The projects you will support, the environment you will work in and the people you will engage with, make this role like no other. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but the opportunity to be part of making a real difference to people’s lives and the future of our planet is immense.

Where you'll work

Spadeadam Test Site, Mod R5
Gilsland
Brampton
CA8 7AU

Training

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

Training provider

THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

Training course

Electro-mechanical engineer (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Communicate technical information with others at all levels, including technical reports and the use of digital tools.
• Follow a methodical approach to engineering problem solving.
• Establish and report engineering design briefs.
• Produce mechanical and electrical designs / drawings / sketches using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and manual systems.
• Model real-world mechanical systems efficiently.
• Select the design solution for a given electro-mechanical engineering application and environment using data to inform their decisions.
• Integrate electrical and mechanical engineering systems, considering new and emerging technologies.
• Use appropriate equipment to develop and execute test plans to support electro-mechanical product validation and approval.
• Design functional electronic systems and circuits from component level.
• Write and document structured programming code for electro-mechanical systems.
• Fabricate engineering components and assemblies using specialist manufacturing methods and hand fitting techniques.
• Assemble, wire, program and test electrical equipment, motors and control systems.
• Plan, manage and lead engineering projects.
• Perform risk management for engineering activities.
• Comply with statutory and organisational safety requirements.
• Communicate technical information with others at all levels, including technical reports and the use of digital tools.
• Follow a methodical approach to engineering problem solving.
• Establish and report engineering design briefs.
• Produce mechanical and electrical designs / drawings / sketches using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and manual systems.
• Model real-world mechanical systems efficiently.
• Select the design solution for a given electro-mechanical engineering application and environment using data to inform their decisions.
• Integrate electrical and mechanical engineering systems, considering new and emerging technologies.
• Use appropriate equipment to develop and execute test plans to support electro-mechanical product validation and approval.
• Design functional electronic systems and circuits from component level.
• Write and document structured programming code for electro-mechanical systems.
• Fabricate engineering components and assemblies using specialist manufacturing methods and hand fitting techniques.
• Assemble, wire, program and test electrical equipment, motors and control systems.
• Plan, manage and lead engineering projects.
• Perform risk management for engineering activities.
• Comply with statutory and organisational safety requirements.

Training schedule

Throughout the programme, you will spend 80% of your time gaining hands-on experience, working on real projects alongside specialist colleagues at Spadeadam. The remaining 20% will be spent with our selected specialist training provider. This requires attendance on-site at the University for week-long block release sessions approximately every 6–8 weeks throughout the duration of your apprenticeship programme.

All additional travel and accommodation expenses are covered; however, these off-the-job block study sessions at University represent a vital component of your learning experience. Regular periods away from home may not suit everyone, so it is important to carefully assess whether you are able to commit to this requirement over the long term.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

A Level in:

• Maths (grade A*-C)
• Physics or Chemistry (grade A*-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
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Number skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative
• Physical fitness
• Practical Judgement
• Prioritisation

Other requirements

Our role is based on-site at Spadeadam 5 days per week (unless you are at your Training Provider in Carlisle) and is important to understand that the nature of our work means that you will spend significant time each day, outdoors, in all weather conditions.

Our site is loud and busy, with daily explosions, detonations and industrial machinery in operation, so the hazardous environment requires people to be able to develop their understanding and follow extremely tight safety regulations to keep safe.

Our site also requires security and background checks due the sensitive location and work we do and is also a strict non smoking environment.

Finally, due to the location and logistics of our Spadeadam site possessing a full clean UK driving license and your own transport will make getting to our Spadeadam site a little more convenient. If you don’t yet have a driving license, we will support you through a high intensity driving course when eligible. This will also make getting around our expansive site easier and also enable you to use our vehicles whilst on site.

About this employer

Here at DNV, what we do matters. Whether it’s helping the Energy Industry transition to a more decarbonised and sustainable future or helping safeguard life, property and the environment, every day, what you do will make a difference. This is our shared purpose and one our people are proud to be part of.

Our Spadeadam Research and Testing site is one of the UK’s most unique and exciting places to start a career in safety, engineering, and future energy. For nearly 50 years, our site has been home to large scale research into fires, explosions, and new low carbon technologies like hydrogen. With an 80 hectare site near Brampton, Cumbria, set inside a protected MOD area, Spadeadam gives our apprentices the rare chance to contribute to real experiments, real engineering, and real safety challenges up close — the kind of work most people only ever see on TV.

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

Company benefits

Benefit from profit share, 26 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, private medical and dental cover, gym allowance and wellbeing support. Build your future with a pension up to 9%, paid professional fees and retail discounts.

After this apprenticeship

Following completion of your  degree apprenticeship, there are lots of routes our people choose to take, including specialising in a particular aspect of your role or broadening out your experience into new technical or leadership roles (people, project management or commercial). Whichever route you decide to take, we will support you with mentoring and additional specialist training and courses as applicable.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000017256.

Apply now

Closes in 26 days (Sunday 22 March 2026)

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.