Polymer Processing Technician Apprenticeship (Level 3) - Global Filters

GLOBAL FILTERS LTD

DORSET (BH31 6BE)

Closes in 24 days (Monday 24 November 2025)

Posted on 30 October 2025


Summary

We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for an Apprentice Process Setter to join our Day Shift setting team, supporting the preparation, setup, and start-up of moulding machines to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable production. You will play a key role in delivering the daily production plan while maintaining high standards of quality.

Wage

£14,919 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Starting salary of £14,919/year to £22,823/year (dependent on age and experience). Salary will increase to NMW for your age group after the first 12 months of the apprenticeship

Training course
Polymer processing technician (level 3)
Hours
Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm Fridays 8:30am to 3:00pm

38 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 December 2025

Duration

1 year 10 months

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

  • Health & Safety: Follow all company health and safety procedures, use personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly, and report any safety concerns to maintain a safe working environment
  • Mould Tool Preparation: Assist with mounting, removing, and preparing mould tools and auxiliary equipment to ensure efficient and safe production
  • Process Setup & Optimisation: Support the setup of moulding processes, monitor production performance, and adjust settings under guidance to maintain quality and efficiency
  • Troubleshooting: Identify and help resolve moulding issues such as flash, contamination, or slow cycles to minimise downtime and prevent reoccurrence
  • Documentation: Complete production records, tool change logs, and process adjustment reports accurately and in line with company procedures
  • Production Planning: Organise and prioritise tasks to meet daily production schedules, supporting minimal tool change times and smooth operations
  • Collaboration: Work closely with other departments, including Tooling, Engineering, and Quality, to ensure efficient and effective moulding operations
  • General Equipment Support: Conduct routine inspections of machinery and auxiliary equipment, report any issues, and assist with general tasks to support continuous production

Where you'll work

25 BLACKMOOR RD
EBBLAKE IND EST
VERWOOD
DORSET
BH31 6BE

Training

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

Training provider

TIRO TRAINING LTD

Training course

Polymer processing technician (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Review instructions or information. For example, work instructions, sampling requirements, drawings dimensioning, labelling, formulations, machine settings.
  • Plan task and identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, security, quality and cost.
  • Identify and document hazards and risks in the workplace.
  • Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations and standards. For example, daily machine checks, wearing personal protective equipment.
  • Apply sustainability principles for example, in choice of materials, minimising waste.
  • Segregate resources for reuse, recycling, and handling.
  • Select, check, and prepare materials for polymer processing for example, weighing, control and blending, and conditioning.
  • Select, configure (for example, replace or change inserts) and check mould tools, formers, dies or other process equipment.
  • Check installation and function of processing equipment for the process.
  • Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic.
  • Check hand tools, equipment and machinery including calibration record where applicable.
  • Set or check machine settings using instructions such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
  • Adjust machine setting for the speeds, positions, pressures and safety of the mould tool, former or die movement to meet product specification.
  • Start up manufacturing processes.
  • Monitor process feedback and adjust process parameters.
  • Shut down manufacturing processes.
  • Devise machine settings such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance for new or modified equipment, tooling or material.
  • Test and evaluate machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling or material.
  • Select and apply optimal machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling or material (for example, capability study).
  • Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data. Use data to inform action.
  • Identify process faults and resolve.
  • Apply post processing techniques for example, assembly, printing, decorating, cooling operations, packing, and labelling.
  • Follow quality assurance processes during manufacture.
  • Perform quality control checks. For example, conduct parameter checks (size, colour, weight), and take samples.
  • Identify quality issues and resolve for example, defects, maintenance requirements.
  • Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
  • Apply preventative maintenance practices. For example, checking guarding, lubrication, cleaning of tooling, safety checks, and inspection for wear and tear.
  • Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement. For example, improving the effectiveness of existing production, improving the energy consumption or waste profile of processes and procedures to improve the sustainability or carbon footprint of a product, process or task.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Record or enter information - paper based or electronic. For example, process and production records, traceability records, and quality assurance records.
  • Present information.
  • Communicate in written form in the workplace for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests, technical reports.
  • Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
  • Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned continued professional development (CPD) activities. Evaluate CPD against plans made.
  • Review instructions or information. For example, work instructions, sampling requirements, drawings dimensioning, labelling, formulations, machine settings.
  • Plan task and identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, security, quality and cost.
  • Identify and document hazards and risks in the workplace.
  • Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations and standards. For example, daily machine checks, wearing personal protective equipment.
  • Apply sustainability principles for example, in choice of materials, minimising waste.
  • Segregate resources for reuse, recycling, and handling.
  • Select, check, and prepare materials for polymer processing for example, weighing, control and blending, and conditioning.
  • Select, configure (for example, replace or change inserts) and check mould tools, formers, dies or other process equipment.
  • Check installation and function of processing equipment for the process.
  • Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic.
  • Check hand tools, equipment and machinery including calibration record where applicable.
  • Set or check machine settings using instructions such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
  • Adjust machine setting for the speeds, positions, pressures and safety of the mould tool, former or die movement to meet product specification.
  • Start up manufacturing processes.
  • Monitor process feedback and adjust process parameters.
  • Shut down manufacturing processes.
  • Devise machine settings such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance for new or modified equipment, tooling or material.
  • Test and evaluate machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling or material.
  • Select and apply optimal machine settings for new or modified equipment, tooling or material (for example, capability study).
  • Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data. Use data to inform action.
  • Identify process faults and resolve.
  • Apply post processing techniques for example, assembly, printing, decorating, cooling operations, packing, and labelling.
  • Follow quality assurance processes during manufacture.
  • Perform quality control checks. For example, conduct parameter checks (size, colour, weight), and take samples.
  • Identify quality issues and resolve for example, defects, maintenance requirements.
  • Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
  • Apply preventative maintenance practices. For example, checking guarding, lubrication, cleaning of tooling, safety checks, and inspection for wear and tear.
  • Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement. For example, improving the effectiveness of existing production, improving the energy consumption or waste profile of processes and procedures to improve the sustainability or carbon footprint of a product, process or task.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Record or enter information - paper based or electronic. For example, process and production records, traceability records, and quality assurance records.
  • Present information.
  • Communicate in written form in the workplace for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests, technical reports.
  • Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
  • Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned continued professional development (CPD) activities. Evaluate CPD against plans made.

Training schedule

Over 22 months, you’ll devote a minimum of 6 hours of your working week on ‘off the job’ training. This can include theory training (for example, virtual lessons & online learning), alongside practical training (for example shadowing, mentoring, & time spent writing assignments. Together this will count towards a Level 3 Polymer Processing Technician apprenticeship.

You’ll be trained by an expert tutor from Tiro as well as an experienced mentor at Global Filters who together, will make sure you develop the knowledge, skills, and work habits you’ll need to succeed in your career.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4 / C +)
  • Maths (grade 4 / C +)
  • Science (grade 4 / C +)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Initiative

Other requirements

Due to the use of mechanical machinery, you must be 18+ in order to be suitable for this apprenticeship.

About this employer

We are a full-service plastic injection moulding business that has been delighting our customers around the globe for over 35 years. We are experts in overmoulding plastic filters of all shapes, sizes, types and materials. We use our deep knowledge and experience to help our customers meet their filtration requirements. But we are about more than just filters – we are their partner for ALL their plastic moulded parts. Moulding filters is technically challenging, which has made us highly-skilled moulders. We deliver high-quality, cost-effective moulded parts of all kinds for demanding applications, with the mould tooling too. Our customers already know there’s more to us than filters – in fact about half our business is now in non-filter mouldings: mating parts, plain parts, insert mouldings, overmouldings and assemblies.

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

Company benefits

28 days holiday including statutory and other public holidays Group personal pension scheme Company sick pay scheme (after qualifying period) Free on-site parking

After this apprenticeship

When you join Global Filters, the possibilities for your success are limitless. As a successful applicant, you have the potential to secure a full-time position within the company at the conclusion of your apprenticeship.

Through practical training on the job, you will acquire new skills and gain the competence and responsibility required for manufacturing and process operations. This apprenticeship programme serves as a stepping stone towards a rewarding career in polymer processing, with the added opportunity for the apprentice to become a registered Science or Engineering Technician (RSci/Eng Tech).

This apprenticeship offers opportunities for professional growth, enabling you to specialise in areas such as polymer formulation, process optimisation, quality control, or equipment maintenance, and to progress into supervisory or leadership roles within the polymer manufacturing environment.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

TIRO TRAINING LTD

John Proctor

john.proctor@tiro.co.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000348974.

Apply now

Closes in 24 days (Monday 24 November 2025)

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