Process Industry Manufacturing Technician Apprentice (Process Operator)
EET Fuels
Cheshire (CH65 4HB)
Closes in 21 days (Friday 10 April 2026)
Posted on 20 March 2026
Contents
Summary
As an Apprentice Operator, you will gain hands-on experience working alongside experienced Process Operators who ensure the safe and efficient running of refining units. You will learn how we convert crude oil and feedstocks into essential fuels and products used across the UK and beyond.
- Wage
-
£16,500 a year
- Training course
- Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
08.00 - 16:00 (37.5 hours per week).
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years
- Positions available
-
12
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
We are looking for motivated, safety‑focused individuals to join our team as Apprentice Operators. This is an exciting opportunity to begin a career within one of the UK’s largest and most advanced oil refining and energy production facilities.
As an Apprentice Operator, you will gain hands-on experience working alongside experienced Process Operators who ensure the safe and efficient running of refining units. You will learn how we convert crude oil and feedstocks into essential fuels and products used across the UK and beyond.
This apprenticeship combines practical site-based training with formal study toward an industry-recognised qualification.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Supporting day-to-day operations across refinery processing units
- Monitoring equipment, temperatures, pressures, and process flows
- Learning to operate plant systems safely and efficiently
- Assisting with start-up and shutdown procedures
- Completing routine process checks, sampling, and reporting
- Following strict safety, environmental, and compliance standards
- Working closely with operational teams to resolve issues and maintain plant reliability
Where you'll work
The Administration Building 5th Floor
Stanlow Manufacturing Complex
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire
CH65 4HB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
COGENT SSC LIMITED
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
Qualification to be delivered: SIAS L3 Diploma in Process Industry Manufacturing.
Apprenticeship Standard: Level 3 Process Industry Manufacturing Technician.
Training Provider: Cogent Skills.
Delivery model: Block release - Ellesmere Port.
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
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
About this employer
Do you want to work for the company that’s playing a leading role in delivering the North West’s low carbon future? EET Fuels (Trading name of Essar Oil (UK) Limited) produces over 16% of the UK’s road transport fuels, provides key feedstocks to Britain’s petrochemical industry and is investing in developing low carbon fuels.
We are a major supplier in the North West and beyond with customers including most of the major retail brands operated by international oil companies and supermarkets, Manchester Airport, leading commercial airlines and the region’s trains and buses.
And we’re central to the innovative HyNet project which is redefining energy to achieve our regional low carbon ambitions and national policy targets.
We employ over 800 expert and engaged colleagues, who are at the heart of everything we do. The company has an embedded safety culture, technically challenging work across all the different parts of the business and some of the best training available in the energy industry.
https://www.eetfuels.com/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Pension - Employer 10%
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Onsite Parking
- Onsite Canteen - free lunch everyday
- Residential - Team Building
After this apprenticeship
Potential to progress onto an HNC qualification.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
COGENT SSC LIMITED
Caroline Lees
caroline.lees@cogentskills.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000022404.
Apply now
Closes in 21 days (Friday 10 April 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.