Air conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Apprentice - VINCI Facilities - East - South East London
VINCI Facilities
London, Orpington
Closes in 20 days (Monday 30 March 2026)
Posted on 9 March 2026
Contents
Summary
An exciting opportunity to join our team. Your role as an apprentice will be to support the team into support the maintenance work for our clients.
- Wage
-
£19,500 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Everyday discounts. Pension scheme with employer contribution. Opportunity for bi-annual salary progression
- Training course
- Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday - Friday, from 8.00am - 5.00pm.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
2 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
Core tasks:
- Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM), Routine and Re-active inspections, ventilation air checks, servicing, maintenance, and replacement of parts/plant, associated filters, belts to air handling units (AHUs), fan coil units, extract fans, carrying out FGas leak detection, checking air flow/pressure differentials
- Reactive Maintenance (RM) fault finding electrical & mechanical components and replacing failed i.e. compressors, valves, printed circuit boards, fan motors, volume control dampers. Pressure testing to determine location of refrigerant leaks & subsequent repair
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:
- Stadium Road, London, SE18 4QH
- Farnborough Common, Orpington, BR6 8ND
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
UNITED COLLEGES GROUP
Training course
Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Comply with health and safety, regulations and standards. Apply safe systems of work, including carrying out a risk assessment.
- Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations and standards for example prevention of refrigerant emissions, segregate resources for reuse and, recycling and disposal of waste.
- Position, fix, joint and test, pipework and electrical circuits.
- Test, charge with refrigerant and commission vapour compression systems.
- Test and commission electrical and electronic control systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
- Interpret information and data from log books and diagrams.
- perform servicing, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on vapour compression systems including routine and reactive maintenance, installation of components and safe electrical isolation of supply.
- Perform routine service, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on electrical and electrical control systems applicable to vapour compression systems including carrying out safe isolation procedures.
- Decommission vapour compression systems, safe recovery and disposal of equipment, hazardous waste refrigerant transfer.
- Decommission electrical and electronic systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
- Adjust vapour compression system operating parameters to achieve reductions in carbon emissions.
- Maximise performance of vapour compression systems by determining heating and cooling loads and selecting and balancing components and systems.
- Retrofit and retro fill existing equipment to lower GWP refrigerants.
- Mitigate risks of refrigerants including environmental, toxicity and flammability hazards.
- Identify and use tools and equipment.
- Communicate with others verbally and in writing.
- Complete a customer handover.
- Work collaboratively with clients or stakeholders to solve problems.
- Apply project leadership techniques and principles.
- Use information and digital technology and comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations.
- Apply ethical principles.
- Comply with health and safety, regulations and standards. Apply safe systems of work, including carrying out a risk assessment.
- Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations and standards for example prevention of refrigerant emissions, segregate resources for reuse and, recycling and disposal of waste.
- Position, fix, joint and test, pipework and electrical circuits.
- Test, charge with refrigerant and commission vapour compression systems.
- Test and commission electrical and electronic control systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
- Interpret information and data from log books and diagrams.
- perform servicing, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on vapour compression systems including routine and reactive maintenance, installation of components and safe electrical isolation of supply.
- Perform routine service, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on electrical and electrical control systems applicable to vapour compression systems including carrying out safe isolation procedures.
- Decommission vapour compression systems, safe recovery and disposal of equipment, hazardous waste refrigerant transfer.
- Decommission electrical and electronic systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
- Adjust vapour compression system operating parameters to achieve reductions in carbon emissions.
- Maximise performance of vapour compression systems by determining heating and cooling loads and selecting and balancing components and systems.
- Retrofit and retro fill existing equipment to lower GWP refrigerants.
- Mitigate risks of refrigerants including environmental, toxicity and flammability hazards.
- Identify and use tools and equipment.
- Communicate with others verbally and in writing.
- Complete a customer handover.
- Work collaboratively with clients or stakeholders to solve problems.
- Apply project leadership techniques and principles.
- Use information and digital technology and comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations.
- Apply ethical principles.
Training schedule
- Level 3 Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician
- Face to face delivery
More training information
- 2 years fixed term contract
- Opportunity for progression and permanent contract
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
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
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
You will be based on a construction site and PPE use will be required for site visits.
About this employer
VINCI Construction is focused on buildings, structures and infrastructure that improve
the living environment, mobility and economic competitiveness of the regions it works in.
VINCI Construction in the UK is formed of three complementary components;
Major Projects, Specialty Networks and Proximity Network businesses.
Our buildings, civil works and infrastructure enhance life for local people. Acting as a positive force for all, we build structures to accompany the transitions of our era – environmental, energy and digital. Steeped in a culture of builders, our teams strive and innovate every day to assist our customers as well as the end-users.
https://www.vincifacilities.com/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- 26 days holiday + 8 days bank holidays
- 2 days paid volunteering. Training courses programme and Mentor Support
- Early Careers Network - Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold
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
- VINCI Facilities Apprenticeship Scheme has been designed to kick start your journey towards becoming an industry expert. You will get hands-on experience and tailored training to support you every step of the way
- In addition to the qualifications the programme will enable candidates to progress in terms of level of responsibility, interpersonal skills, leadership, commercial awareness and commercial knowledge
- This position offers candidates to opportunity to learn on the job, gain a recognised qualification and the opportunity to progress on to a degree course upon completion and ultimately lead to full membership of the relevant professional institutions
- We are looking for a long-term relationship with our apprentices and we have a long-term career structure in mind, whereby we see the apprentice developing into senior roles within our business as it grows
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
UNITED COLLEGES GROUP
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000020045.
Apply now
Closes in 20 days (Monday 30 March 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.