Quality Inspector Level 3 Apprenticeship
BALFOUR BEATTY PLC
Hereford (HR4 9SW)
Closes on Friday 28 August 2026
Posted on 4 March 2026
Contents
Summary
The role includes assuring the supply of materials meets client requirements and is right the first time, ensuring defect-free delivery to provide assurance of operational expectations, including high-integrity coded welding knowledge and inspection to support factory fabrication.
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
- Training course
- Engineering and manufacturing support technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday-Friday 8am-4pm
30 mins lunch unpaid.
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years 9 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
As a Quality Inspector, you will support the wider Quality Team to deliver a wide range of activities to ensure compliance and continuous improvement of our certified BS EN ISO9001:2015 and BS EN ISO 3834-2 management systems and product certification BS EN 1090-2, including:
- Carrying out Measurement and Visual Inspection (NDT) testing of Welds and reporting on results.
- Ensuring defined inspections are conducted, and records are maintained.
- Identifying and controlling non-conforming materials and raising non-conformance reports as necessary.
- Assisting with the investigation of root cause to ensure that suitable corrective action plans are developed.
- Reviewing manufacturing and technical data provided by the client, the Technical Team, and the supply chain.
- Reviewing Welding Specifications and Product Standards and ensuring that all necessary information and reporting requirements for welding operations are generated and available prior to commencement of work.
- Supporting the implementation of the quality plan, ITP and QCR’s for the project and ensuring all staff are trained on the requirements for the incorporation of progressive assurance methods.
- Carrying out Calibration of Internal equipment used in the production processes.
- Ensuring a relentless focus on zero harm and right the first time
- Supporting the business during client & 3rd party audits, ensuring compliance with BS EN ISO 3834-2 & BSEN 1090-2
Where you'll work
Hereford Steelworks
Holmer Road
Hereford
HR4 9SW
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
HEREFORDSHIRE AND WORCESTERSHIRE GROUP TRAINING ASSOCIATION LIMITED
Training course
Engineering and manufacturing support technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Follow health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, segregation of resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Comply with engineering standards and regulations. For example, British Standards (BS), International Organisation for Standardisation standards (ISO). European Norm (EN).
- Analyse engineering and manufacturing data and information to support technical outputs. For example, read and interpret text, data, engineering drawings, work instructions, method statements, operation manuals.
- Apply scientific, technical or engineering principles.
- Apply problem solving techniques to solutions for identified technical problems.
- Organise, plan and prioritise workflow and scheduling of work with stakeholders.
- Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, considering cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Produce job specific technical outputs. For example, engineering drawings, quality control management, computer control programming, business improvement, adverse incident reports, technical investigations, equipment appraisals and specifications.
- Provide support and guidance for handover of work to stakeholders. For example, checklists, product or process status, access to supporting documents.
- Record information - paper based or electronic. For example, energy usage, equipment service records, test results, handover documents, checklists.
- Follow standard operating procedures.
- Follow manufacturer's instructions. For example, safe instructions for use of products, processes and machinery.
- Apply quality assurance and control principles and practices. For example, conduct physical checks, take samples, inspections or tests.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques.
- Apply team working principles.
- Communicate in writing with others for example, stakeholders, colleagues, and managers.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Carry out and record learning and development activities.
- Apply equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Follow health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, segregation of resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Comply with engineering standards and regulations. For example, British Standards (BS), International Organisation for Standardisation standards (ISO). European Norm (EN).
- Analyse engineering and manufacturing data and information to support technical outputs. For example, read and interpret text, data, engineering drawings, work instructions, method statements, operation manuals.
- Apply scientific, technical or engineering principles.
- Apply problem solving techniques to solutions for identified technical problems.
- Organise, plan and prioritise workflow and scheduling of work with stakeholders.
- Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, considering cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Produce job specific technical outputs. For example, engineering drawings, quality control management, computer control programming, business improvement, adverse incident reports, technical investigations, equipment appraisals and specifications.
- Provide support and guidance for handover of work to stakeholders. For example, checklists, product or process status, access to supporting documents.
- Record information - paper based or electronic. For example, energy usage, equipment service records, test results, handover documents, checklists.
- Follow standard operating procedures.
- Follow manufacturer's instructions. For example, safe instructions for use of products, processes and machinery.
- Apply quality assurance and control principles and practices. For example, conduct physical checks, take samples, inspections or tests.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques.
- Apply team working principles.
- Communicate in writing with others for example, stakeholders, colleagues, and managers.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Carry out and record learning and development activities.
- Apply equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
Training schedule
Formal training is delivered at HWGTA, located at Holmer Road, Hereford HR4 9SX.
Level 3 comprises of:
Duration approximately 40-45 months.
Year 1, between 22–39 weeks are spent at HWGTA Training Centre developing practical engineering skills, alongside one day per week in the classroom, completing the theoretical elements of the EAL Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering.
Year 2, predominantly based in your company, returning to the Training Centre one day per week to continue and complete the specialised elements of their Level 3 Diploma (Development Knowledge).
Years 3–4
Based full-time in your company, developing practical skills and knowledge in preparation for the End Point Assessment to gain your Quality Inspector qualification.
More training information
Additional training for functional skills in English and Maths will be undertaken if needed.
There is also a five-day team-building residential trip held in the spring of each year, offered to all apprentices on the programme.
Requirements
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- IT skills
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Team working
- Initiative
About this employer
We are specialists in structural steel manufacture with the capacity to produce in excess of 8,000 tonnes of steelwork each year.
Our 14-acre site has a wide range of machinery meaning we can manufacture and store almost any type of structural steelwork, including galvanised specialist structural steelwork that requires precision manufacturing.
We have a proven expertise in delivering:
Overhead line electrification (OLE) steelwork for the rail industry.
Callender Hamilton lattice girder bridges.
Telecommunication masts and towers.
Overhead line transmission towers.
Substation equipment support and cable support steelwork
Our employees include specialists such as platers, welders and operators of Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining stands. To ensure the right skills are in place for tomorrow, we have apprentices in both technical and craft roles.
To ensure the highest levels of quality, we operate a Factory Production Control (FPC) system which has been certified in accordance with EN 1090-1:2009+A1:2011. We are able to manufacture and market structural steelwork to the requirements of Execution Class 3 of EN 1090-2:2018. We operate a Quality Management System which is certified to ISO 9001:2015 standards.
After this apprenticeship
Potential for career progression after apprenticeship - to be discussed.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
HEREFORDSHIRE AND WORCESTERSHIRE GROUP TRAINING ASSOCIATION LIMITED
Lisa Wilkinson
lisa.wilkinson@hwgta.org
01432377002
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000017729.
Apply now
Closes on Friday 28 August 2026