L3 Engineering Maintenance Technician Apprentice

PCCA Ltd

NORTHUMBERLAND (NE42 6PX)

Closes in 13 days (Wednesday 12 August 2026)

Posted on 29 July 2026

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Contents

Summary

This apprenticeship offers an excellent opportunity to gain practical engineering maintenance experience within a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environment while working towards a nationally recognised Level 3 Engineering Maintenance Technician qualification.

Wage

£15,870.40 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Engineering maintenance technician - single discipline (level 3)
Hours
Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm. 30-minute unpaid lunch break. 38.15 hours per week. 1 x Flexi leave day per month.

38 hours 9 minutes a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Duration

3 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

  • Support the Facilities team with the maintenance of company premises, manufacturing equipment and plant.
  • Assist with planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and reactive maintenance activities across all company sites using Total Preventative Maintenance (TPM) systems.
  • Carry out departmental administration including scanning, photocopying and filing maintenance documentation such as service reports and calibration certificates.
  • Ensure maintenance records are accurately completed and fully traceable in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and company procedures.
  • Assist with Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) for new electrical equipment and support equipment calibration and re-validation, updating records where required.
  • Liaise with colleagues across all departments to prioritise and respond to maintenance requests promptly.
  • Supervise contractors and suppliers working on site, ensuring work is completed safely, in line with contracts, company Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Health & Safety regulations.
  • Help maintain safe access around the site, including clearing and gritting car parks during adverse weather conditions.
  • Assist in carrying out Health & Safety risk assessments relating to equipment and maintenance activities.
  • Provide practical support to the Production and other departments during process development and validation activities.
  • Learn to diagnose faults, identify solutions and contribute to continuous improvement activities within the Facilities department.
  • Maintain high standards of housekeeping and work safely at all times.

Where you'll work

UNIT 1 REGENTS DRIVE
LOW PRUDHOE IND EST
PRUDHOE
NORTHUMBERLAND
NE42 6PX

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

NCG

Training course

Engineering maintenance technician - single discipline (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Review and use information. For example, work instructions, drawings, design specifications, and plant configurations.
  • Use planning, prioritising, organising, and time management techniques to plan tasks.
  • Identify and organise resources to complete tasks. For example, consumables.
  • Respond and adapt to work demands. For example, adapt working methods to reflect changes in working environment, re-prioritise workloads to react to breakdowns and fault scenarios.
  • Identify equipment to work on. Check plant configuration is as defined.
  • Prepare the work area for maintenance tasks.
  • Identify environmental and health and safety hazards and risks and apply control measures.
  • Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, signage and barriers, working at height, confined spaces, and COSHH.
  • Follow security procedures. For example, site access, document classification, and securing assets.
  • Follow emergency incident and response procedures.
  • Apply sustainability principles. For example, minimising waste.
  • Segregate items for reuse, recycling, and waste.
  • Use mathematical principles and formulae to support engineering maintenance.
  • Apply engineering maintenance standards and procedures.
  • Apply foreign material exclusion procedures.
  • Follow maintenance tools and equipment control procedures. For example, handling and storage.
  • Reinstate the work area.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Communicate with others to give and receive information. For example, colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.
  • Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
  • Record information.
  • Produce or update documents. For example, handover notes and reports.
  • Identify and highlight issues (red pen) with technical drawings.
  • Use digital and information technology. For example, databases, data sharing platforms, email, management information systems, and word processing. Follow cyber security and GDPR requirements.
  • Apply continuous improvement techniques to identify improvement suggestions.
  • Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities.
  • Electrical. Confirm safe electrical isolation lockout tagout method has been applied and test for dead.
  • Electrical. Select, check, and use electrical maintenance tools, measurement, and test equipment.
  • Electrical. Use electrical diagnostic equipment and apply fault finding and rectification techniques.
  • Electrical. Apply problem solving and critical reasoning techniques.
  • Electrical. Inspect and test electrical aspects of plant. For example, visual checks, insulation and continuity checks, thermographic surveys, and voltage levels.
  • Electrical. Remove and replace electrical parts.
  • Electrical. Prepare and terminate electrical cables.
  • Electrical. Set up, align and adjust electrical aspects of plant.
  • Electrical. Clean parts. For example, removal of dust and debris.
  • Electrical. Conduct and confirm electrical and connected services deisolation.
  • Electrical. Conduct functional testing.
  • Control and instrumentation. Conduct and confirm safe isolation of connected services
  • Control and instrumentation. Confirm safe electrical isolation lockout tagout method has been applied and test for dead.
  • Control and instrumentation. Select, check, and use control and instrumentation maintenance tools, measurement, and test equipment.
  • Control and instrumentation. Use control and instrumentation diagnostic equipment and apply fault finding and rectification techniques.
  • Control and instrumentation. Apply problem solving and critical reasoning techniques.
  • Control and instrumentation. Inspect and test control and instrumentation systems.
  • Control and instrumentation. Check calibration and make adjustments.
  • Control and instrumentation. Check loop function.
  • Control and instrumentation. Set up and adjust control and instrumentation systems.
  • Control and instrumentation. Clean parts. For example, removal of dust and debris.
  • Control and instrumentation. Remove and replace instruments and sensors.
  • Control and instrumentation. Re-connect instrumentation power supply, cables, pipework, and services.
  • Control and instrumentation. Conduct and confirm electrical and connected services deisolation.
  • Control and instrumentation. Conduct functional testing.
  • Mechanical. Check and confirm safe isolation of connected services.
  • Mechanical. Select, check, and use mechanical maintenance tools and equipment.
  • Mechanical. Use mechanical diagnostic equipment and apply fault finding and rectification techniques.
  • Mechanical. Apply problem solving and critical reasoning techniques.
  • Mechanical. Check condition and operation of mechanical aspects of plant and equipment. For example, pumps.
  • Mechanical. Remove and replace mechanical parts.
  • Mechanical. Examine mechanical parts for defects. For example, pump seals.
  • Mechanical. Set up, align, and adjust mechanical aspects of plant.
  • Mechanical. Clean parts. For example, removal of dust and debris.
  • Mechanical. Lubricate mechanical assemblies.
  • Mechanical. Confirm electrical and connected services deisolation.
  • Mechanical. Conduct functional testing.
  • Mechanical. Apply bench fitting techniques.
  • Review and use information. For example, work instructions, drawings, design specifications, and plant configurations.
  • Use planning, prioritising, organising, and time management techniques to plan tasks.
  • Identify and organise resources to complete tasks. For example, consumables.
  • Respond and adapt to work demands. For example, adapt working methods to reflect changes in working environment, re-prioritise workloads to react to breakdowns and fault scenarios.
  • Identify equipment to work on. Check plant configuration is as defined.
  • Prepare the work area for maintenance tasks.
  • Identify environmental and health and safety hazards and risks and apply control measures.
  • Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, signage and barriers, working at height, confined spaces, and COSHH.
  • Follow security procedures. For example, site access, document classification, and securing assets.
  • Follow emergency incident and response procedures.
  • Apply sustainability principles. For example, minimising waste.
  • Segregate items for reuse, recycling, and waste.
  • Use mathematical principles and formulae to support engineering maintenance.
  • Apply engineering maintenance standards and procedures.
  • Apply foreign material exclusion procedures.
  • Follow maintenance tools and equipment control procedures. For example, handling and storage.
  • Reinstate the work area.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Communicate with others to give and receive information. For example, colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.
  • Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
  • Record information.
  • Produce or update documents. For example, handover notes and reports.
  • Identify and highlight issues (red pen) with technical drawings.
  • Use digital and information technology. For example, databases, data sharing platforms, email, management information systems, and word processing. Follow cyber security and GDPR requirements.
  • Apply continuous improvement techniques to identify improvement suggestions.
  • Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities.

Training schedule

  • 4 days per week at PCCA.
  • 1 day per week at Newcastle College. 

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)

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
  • Customer care skills
  • Logical
  • Team working

Other requirements

  • Interested in engineering, maintenance and problem solving.
  • Practical and enjoys hands-on work.
  • Able to demonstrate good spatial awareness.
  • Capable of interpreting equipment layouts, drawings or diagrams.
  • Competent using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Outlook) and able to learn new software systems.
  • Able to manage their own workload and prioritise tasks.
  • A confident communicator with good written and verbal skills.
  • Positive, enthusiastic and willing to learn.
  • Proactive with a can-do attitude.
  • Well organised with good planning skills.
  • Able to work accurately in a busy environment and meet deadlines.
  • Numerate with good analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • A reliable and conscientious team player.
  • Physically able to bend, lift and carry equipment and materials throughout the working day.
  • Able to follow procedures and work to strict quality standards.
  • Committed to personal learning and professional development.

About this employer

The Specials Lab t/a PCCA Ltd is a specialist pharmaceutical manufacturing company dedicated to producing high-quality compounded medicines and delivering innovative healthcare solutions. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest quality standards while investing in the development of our employees.

For more information, visit the PCCA UK website.

https://www.pccarx.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

Potential for continued employment upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, subject to performance and business requirements.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

NCG

Apprenticeships

apprenticeships@ncl-coll.ac.uk

01912004849

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000045459.

Apply now

Closes in 13 days (Wednesday 12 August 2026)

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.