Apprentice Building Craftsperson
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Suffolk (IP33 2QZ)
Closes in 20 days (Monday 11 May 2026)
Posted on 21 April 2026
Contents
Summary
Build your future while helping build and maintain vital NHS spaces.
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Estates team. The role is a perfect starting point for anyone looking to develop practical skills. You will gain hands-on experience supporting the maintenance of buildings and infrastructure across all our sites.
- Wage
-
£25,760 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
On successful completion of the Level 2 Property Maintenance Operative apprenticeship course your pay band will increase to AfC Band 4 (currently £27,485 per year)
- Training course
- Property maintenance operative (level 2)
- Hours
-
Mainly Monday to Friday, 08.30 - 16.30, but will include some evening, night and weekend work as part of a rota system.
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
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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
- Assist with planned maintenance activities
- Support ongoing project work
- Learn a broad range of building skills and undertake general repairs
- Learn about current building standards and health regulations
Where you'll work
West Suffolk Hospital
Hardwick Lane
Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 2QZ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
SUFFOLK NEW COLLEGE
Training course
Property maintenance operative (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Plan the sequence of work required to carry out routine property maintenance operations.
- Identify and select the appropriate materials and components for property maintenance tasks, ensuring these are compliant with relevant regulatory requirements and manufacturer's specifications.
- Comply with statutory health and safety regulations and requirements.
- Comply with risk assessments, and organise the workplace, to safeguard themselves and the property.
- Comply with key regulatory and legislative requirements, including building regulations.
- Uses safe working practices when carrying out property maintenance tasks including the use of PPE, signage, barriers, access equipment and ensuring work area is prepared and reinstated.
- Select, and use work tools and equipment for property maintenance tasks, applying all safeguards, and ensuring the correct functioning of equipment.
- Safely isolate and secure electrical or electronic supplies prior to performing property maintenance operations.
- Apply and implement routine emergency system checks, testing and routine maintenance, identifying and reporting faults as required.
- Perform maintenance and repairs to plumbing systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components and clearing blockages.
- Perform maintenance and repairs to external drainage systems, including clearing blockages and replacing components.
- Perform maintenance and repairs to environmental and energy management systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components.
- Use carpentry and joinery skills to perform repairs to windows, doors and glazing units, and their associated fittings.
- Perform repairs to plastered surfaces, including surface preparation, fixing and mixing materials and compounds.
- Use painting and decorating skills to prepare surfaces for decoration, apply paint using brushes and rollers, and complete sealing activities using gun appliances.
- Perform tiling repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
- Perform flooring repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
- Perform planned, responsive or temporary repairs to buildings or their immediate surroundings, attending to minor defects within either masonry, roofing, fencing or railing, groundwork or landscaping.
- Select and use technical literature and other sources of information and data to address property maintenance problems.
- Record and report information, using digital and written techniques.
- Inspect own work, ensuring it is delivered to the given specifications.
- Comply with environmental regulations and procedures. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Use and adapt communication methods for different situations and when, working with colleagues and stakeholders, using industry terminology as appropriate.
- Provide customer feedback whilst maintaining customer service.
- Escalates issues beyond their level of competence and authority.
- Plan the sequence of work required to carry out routine property maintenance operations.
- Identify and select the appropriate materials and components for property maintenance tasks, ensuring these are compliant with relevant regulatory requirements and manufacturer's specifications.
- Comply with statutory health and safety regulations and requirements.
- Comply with risk assessments, and organise the workplace, to safeguard themselves and the property.
- Comply with key regulatory and legislative requirements, including building regulations.
- Uses safe working practices when carrying out property maintenance tasks including the use of PPE, signage, barriers, access equipment and ensuring work area is prepared and reinstated.
- Select, and use work tools and equipment for property maintenance tasks, applying all safeguards, and ensuring the correct functioning of equipment.
- Safely isolate and secure electrical or electronic supplies prior to performing property maintenance operations.
- Apply and implement routine emergency system checks, testing and routine maintenance, identifying and reporting faults as required.
- Perform maintenance and repairs to plumbing systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components and clearing blockages.
- Perform maintenance and repairs to external drainage systems, including clearing blockages and replacing components.
- Perform maintenance and repairs to environmental and energy management systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components.
- Use carpentry and joinery skills to perform repairs to windows, doors and glazing units, and their associated fittings.
- Perform repairs to plastered surfaces, including surface preparation, fixing and mixing materials and compounds.
- Use painting and decorating skills to prepare surfaces for decoration, apply paint using brushes and rollers, and complete sealing activities using gun appliances.
- Perform tiling repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
- Perform flooring repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
- Perform planned, responsive or temporary repairs to buildings or their immediate surroundings, attending to minor defects within either masonry, roofing, fencing or railing, groundwork or landscaping.
- Select and use technical literature and other sources of information and data to address property maintenance problems.
- Record and report information, using digital and written techniques.
- Inspect own work, ensuring it is delivered to the given specifications.
- Comply with environmental regulations and procedures. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Use and adapt communication methods for different situations and when, working with colleagues and stakeholders, using industry terminology as appropriate.
- Provide customer feedback whilst maintaining customer service.
- Escalates issues beyond their level of competence and authority.
Training schedule
Training will take place one day a week at Suffolk New College's Rural Campus, Charity Lane, Otley, Suffolk, IP6 9EY
The rest of your time will be working as part of our Estates team, mainly at the West Suffolk Hospital site in Bury St Edmunds but could include work at one of our community sites.
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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
You may be required to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
You should be comfortable working at heights using access from ladders or scaffold.
About this employer
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across West Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
http://www.wsh.nhs.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Eligible to join NHS pension scheme
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
After completing the apprenticeship you will be eligible to apply for building craftspersons roles. With further experience you may wish to explore roles in project management, team leadership or compliance.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Shaun Rose
shaun.rose@wsh.nhs.uk
01284 713852
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000027405.
Apply now
Closes in 20 days (Monday 11 May 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.