Food and Drink Maintenance Engineer Apprentice
SAMWORTH BROTHERS LIMITED
Leicester (LE1 2LB)
Closes in 15 days (Wednesday 10 June 2026)
Posted on 26 May 2026
Contents
Summary
At Samworth Brothers, we’re excited to offer our Food and Drink Maintenance Engineer Apprenticeship. Working alongside our trusted learning partners, you’ll gain a recognised qualification whilst getting hands on experience and guidance from our highly skilled engineering teams who are passionate about what they do.
- Wage
-
£26,666 a year
- Training course
- Food and drink maintenance engineer (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
4 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
You will receive guidance from BMET as you work towards your qualification, applying your newly acquired skills on site. During your apprenticeship, you will also have a dedicated workplace mentor to support you throughout. On a daily basis, you will be involved in
- Carrying out scheduled maintenance on production machinery and equipment, such as conveyors, ovens, mixers, and packaging lines.
- Following maintenance schedules to ensure equipment reliability and minimise breakdowns.
- Diagnosing mechanical and electrical faults on a wide range of food production machinery.
- Using tools and diagnostic equipment to identify problems and carry out repairs.
- Responding to breakdowns on the production line to minimise downtime.
- Assisting with the installation of new equipment and machinery.
- Supporting the commissioning process to ensure new equipment is fully operational and safe.
- Working as part of a team to identify areas for improvement in machinery performance and reliability.
- Implementing small engineering projects to improve efficiency, reduce waste, or enhance safety.
- Following strict food safety, hygiene, and health and safety procedures in line with industry regulations and Samworth Brothers’ policies.
- Ensuring all work is carried out in a clean and safe manner to protect product quality.
- Completing maintenance records, job sheets, and compliance documentation accurately.
- Using computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) to log work.
- Attending off-the-job training sessions, either at a partner college or training provider.
- Studying towards the Level 3 apprenticeship standard, including both practical and theoretical learning.
- Working alongside experienced engineers and production staff.
- Communicating effectively with colleagues, supervisors, and managers.
Where you'll work
Walker Deli and Sausage Co
78 - 88 Cobden Street
Cobden Street Industrial Estate
Leicester
LE1 2LB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE
Training course
Food and drink maintenance engineer (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Read and interpret task related information and data. For example, work instructions, SOPs, quality control documentation, Service Level Agreements, specifications, engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information, work instructions, and operation manuals.
- Plan work. Identify and organise resources to complete tasks.
- Identify hazards and control measures to mitigate risks.
- Comply with food safety regulations and procedures.
- Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures.
- Comply with environment and sustainability regulations and procedures: safe disposal of waste, re-cycling or re-use of materials and efficient use of resources.
- Select, check the condition, and safely use maintenance tools and equipment. Store tools and equipment. Complete or arrange maintenance of tools and equipment including calibration where required.
- Follow standard operating procedures and quality procedures.
- Follow site isolation and lock off procedures (lockout, tagout) and re-instatement of equipment with system checks and handover.
- Apply mechanical and fluid power system maintenance practices and techniques. For example, check levels, parts wear, pressure, and sensors, grease and lubricate parts, replace, fit components, and calibrate equipment.
- Apply electrical and control maintenance practices and techniques including use of electrical testing equipment and instruments. For example, panel risk assessment, fixed wire installation testing, fault finding, thermographic surveys, and checking protection settings.
- Apply reliability engineering techniques to prevent or reduce the likelihood or frequency of failures. For example, condition monitoring, oil sampling, thermography, vibration analysis, and ultrasound.
- Install and configure instrumentation or process control systems.
- Install and configure electrical systems. For example, add distribution boards to circuits, single and three phase motors (AC and DC).
- Assemble, position and fix equipment or components. Complete commissioning checks.
- Disconnect and remove equipment or components. Complete storage measures to prevent deterioration.
- Read and interpret equipment performance data.
- Fabricate, drill, and join to produce basic parts, spares or components to measurement and tolerance specification.
- Apply down-hand (flat) TIG welding techniques: butt and tee.
- Apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
- Produce and amend electrical and mechanical engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information. For example, for new component parts or change in circuit diagram or panel.
- Apply fault-finding and problem-solving techniques for example, using PLC data to diagnose issues and locate faults on industrial network.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques to understand current performance; collect and record data. Devise suggestions for improvement.
- Restore the work area on completion of activity.
- Resolve or escalate issues.
- Use information technology. For example, for document creation, communication, and information management. Comply with GDPR. Comply with cyber security.
- Record work activity. For example, asset management records, work sheets, checklists, waste environmental records, and any business or legal reporting requirements.
- Communicate verbal and written. For example, with colleagues and stakeholders. Use engineering terminology where appropriate.
- Produce reports for example, equipment performance reports.
- Provide guidance or training to colleagues or stakeholders.
- Read and interpret task related information and data. For example, work instructions, SOPs, quality control documentation, Service Level Agreements, specifications, engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information, work instructions, and operation manuals.
- Plan work. Identify and organise resources to complete tasks.
- Identify hazards and control measures to mitigate risks.
- Comply with food safety regulations and procedures.
- Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures.
- Comply with environment and sustainability regulations and procedures: safe disposal of waste, re-cycling or re-use of materials and efficient use of resources.
- Select, check the condition, and safely use maintenance tools and equipment. Store tools and equipment. Complete or arrange maintenance of tools and equipment including calibration where required.
- Follow standard operating procedures and quality procedures.
- Follow site isolation and lock off procedures (lockout, tagout) and re-instatement of equipment with system checks and handover.
- Apply mechanical and fluid power system maintenance practices and techniques. For example, check levels, parts wear, pressure, and sensors, grease and lubricate parts, replace, fit components, and calibrate equipment.
- Apply electrical and control maintenance practices and techniques including use of electrical testing equipment and instruments. For example, panel risk assessment, fixed wire installation testing, fault finding, thermographic surveys, and checking protection settings.
- Apply reliability engineering techniques to prevent or reduce the likelihood or frequency of failures. For example, condition monitoring, oil sampling, thermography, vibration analysis, and ultrasound.
- Install and configure instrumentation or process control systems.
- Install and configure electrical systems. For example, add distribution boards to circuits, single and three phase motors (AC and DC).
- Assemble, position and fix equipment or components. Complete commissioning checks.
- Disconnect and remove equipment or components. Complete storage measures to prevent deterioration.
- Read and interpret equipment performance data.
- Fabricate, drill, and join to produce basic parts, spares or components to measurement and tolerance specification.
- Apply down-hand (flat) TIG welding techniques: butt and tee.
- Apply mathematical techniques to solve engineering problems.
- Produce and amend electrical and mechanical engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information. For example, for new component parts or change in circuit diagram or panel.
- Apply fault-finding and problem-solving techniques for example, using PLC data to diagnose issues and locate faults on industrial network.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques to understand current performance; collect and record data. Devise suggestions for improvement.
- Restore the work area on completion of activity.
- Resolve or escalate issues.
- Use information technology. For example, for document creation, communication, and information management. Comply with GDPR. Comply with cyber security.
- Record work activity. For example, asset management records, work sheets, checklists, waste environmental records, and any business or legal reporting requirements.
- Communicate verbal and written. For example, with colleagues and stakeholders. Use engineering terminology where appropriate.
- Produce reports for example, equipment performance reports.
- Provide guidance or training to colleagues or stakeholders.
Training schedule
- Training will be delivered at James Watt BMet College in Great Barr, Birmingahm as part of the programme.
- Apprentices attend college in six-week blocks, three times a year, over the duration of the course. This block release format allows apprentices to focus fully on their studies during college periods, before returning to Samworth Brothers to apply what they have learned in the workplace.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- any subject (grade C/5 or above)
- English (grade C/5 or above)
- Maths (grade C/5 or above)
- Science (grade C/5 or above)
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
- Number skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Physical fitness
- Engineering
Other requirements
- Be able to demonstrate an interest in engineering either through experience or a hobby/school interest
- The ability to work as a team member and possess good interpersonal, communication and literacy skills
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Meet the funding requirements for the apprenticeship
- If selected, you will need to be available 26th June & 2nd July for a Bakery Tour and Recruitment Day.
About this employer
We are a fourth-generation family business producing high quality chilled and ambient foods enjoyed by millions of people across the UK every day. We employ over 10,000 people in well-invested, modern food manufacturing sites around the country.
At Samworth Brothers we feel strongly about our purpose – ‘We do GOOD things with GREAT food’ and as a business we seek to be a long-term force for good. Our purpose is underpinned by a strong set of values that sets out how we behave as a business and with each other.
We take pride in the family feel that exists within our businesses and work together to make things happen. We can offer you the stability of a wider group, as well the opportunities that that offers, if you wish to progress your career with us. We are family and we would like to invite you to be part of this and support our teams in delivering great products to all our customers.
After this apprenticeship
- Excellent opportunities for career progression and long-term development within the company.
- At the end of the programme, you’ll achieve a Level 3 Diploma in Food and Drink Maintenance Engineering. This is a cutting-edge qualification created by industry experts and Samworth Brothers are proud to be part of the trailblazing group that designed this standard, ensuring it’s built for the industry, by the industry.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE
Recruitment Team
Recruitment@bmet.ac.uk
0121 362 1122
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000033476.
Apply now
Closes in 15 days (Wednesday 10 June 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.