Engineering Apprentice
Gooch & Housego Torquay
Devon (TQ2 7QL)
Closes on Friday 13 March 2026
Posted on 18 December 2025
Contents
Summary
As an engineering apprentice at G&H you will have a unique opportunity to study and work in parallel in a dynamic and innovative environment. In partnership with SDC, you will spend four years working closely with our engineering team while complementing your workplace experience with a mixture of theoretical and practical lessons.
- Wage
-
£20,000 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
circa £20,000/year
- Training course
- Engineering technician (level 3)
- Hours
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Mon-Thurs 8am to 4pm, Friday 8am to 3pm.
39 hours a week
- Start date
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Tuesday 22 September 2026
- Duration
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4 years
- Positions available
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3
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
As an engineering apprentice at G&H Torquay you will have a unique opportunity to study and work in parallel in a dynamic and innovative environment. In partnership with South Devon College, you will spend four years working closely with our engineering team while complementing your workplace experience with a mixture of theoretical and practical lessons. As you progress through our apprenticeship programme you will learn about and contribute to the varied disciplines within fibre optics manufacturing while building upon your own skill set to enable the start of your career in engineering.
Our apprenticeship programme offers a structured and varied learning experience, providing you with the opportunity to acquire, refine and apply valuable technical and inter-personal skills employed in fibre optics engineering. You will receive mentorship and guidance from industry professionals, allowing you to grow and develop your expertise. During the four years other, additional training and development, personal and technical will be offered as required and where appropriate.
MANDATORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Adherence to all Company policies, management systems and standard operational procedures, including legal responsibilities in relation to Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality
- Working positively to develop and foster good working relationships with colleagues and contracted personnel in order to maintain a culture of mutual respect and dignity
- Promote and display the G&H values: Customer focus, Integrity, Action, Unity, Precision
- Maintain good attendance at South Devon College
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assisting in the design and development of fibre optic components and systems.
- Participating in the manufacturing process, including fibre routing, splicing, and assembly.
- Conducting quality control tests and inspections to ensure product reliability and performance.
- Collaborating with engineers to troubleshoot technical issues and implement solutions.
- Producing documentation, including operating procedures and technical reports.
- Maintaining and calibrating manufacturing equipment and tools.
- Tracking of your workplace accomplishments to meet learning outcomes.
- Plan and attend progress meetings with colleagues.
- Working with engineers and technicians to implement or improve processes.
- Working with engineers and technicians to complete personal competencies record.
- Attend South Devon College, on average, once per week.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
- Job reports
- Course work
- Personal one to one reviews (on-site/college)
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
- Self-driven
- Creative
- Inquisitive
- Reliable
- Honest
Where you'll work
Broomhill Way
Torquay
Devon
TQ2 7QL
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE
Training course
Engineering technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
Training schedule
At G&H Torquay we have four unique manufacturing areas. During the first two years of your apprenticeship you will spend six months in each area learning the key processes for each area to form the foundation of your engineering skill set.
Across all of our manufacturing areas there are a number of core skills which will be reinforced in each area:
- Optical fibre handling best practice
- Cleaving and splicing repeatability
- Measurement accuracy and data interpretation
In our Modules area you will learn:
- Optical fibre routing
- Bespoke electronic and optical testing for the particular assemblies
- Cleaving and splicing for critical lengths
In our Fibre-Q area you will learn:
- Active alignment of a Fibre Coupled Acousto-Optic Modulator (FCAOM)
- The introductory mathematics and physics around AOMs
In our Photonic Packaging area you will learn:
Introductory skills around photonics packaging such as; using pick and place machines, soldering of microelectronics, passive and active alignment and test of varied photonic devices
In our Fused Fibre Optics area you will learn:
- How to build a fused fibre optic coupler
- How these devices are measured and performance verified
In the final two years of your apprenticeship, you will move to our office area to support two different engineering functions; Manufacturing Engineering and NPI Engineering.
In Manufacturing Engineering, you will support this function while learning:
- Continuous improvement strategies and techniques
- Maintaining and implementing Six-Sigma and 6S methodologies
- Product lifecycle management
In NPI Engineering, you will support this function while learning:
- Documentation creation and maintaining; build and test procedures and bills-of-materials
- Creation and implementation of new optical and electronic test methods
- Managing product development cycles moving from Research and Development to Operational phases
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- Maths (grade 4)
- Science (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
- Organisation skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
Other requirements
Eagerness to learn and develop knowledge and understanding in the field of fibre optics is important
About this employer
G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications
Headquartered in Ilminster, Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognised for the breadth of our acousto-optic, electro-optic, crystal-optic, fibre optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognised as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defence industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy-five years.
At our Torquay site, we design and manufacture best-in-class fibre optics components and modules, for a worldwide customer base of industrial, aerospace, and life science OEMs. Our products are used in a diverse range of applications including undersea intercontinental telecoms cabling, medical diagnostic and surgical equipment, oil and gas pipeline security, and aircraft refuelling.
Our success is built on innovation, precision, and the talent of our people. We are committed to developing capability at every stage of a career, from apprenticeships and graduate pathways through to leadership development.
After this apprenticeship
Our engineering apprentices have had varied continuation of their careers with G&H:
- Becoming Manufacturing Engineering Technicians who directly support operations with building of complex products, take the lead on production documentation, root cause analysis and training of production operators.
- Becoming New Product Introduction (NPI) Technicians who support research and development functions as well as new build-to-print products. Their responsibilities take on a mixture of hands-on measurement development and documentation as well as managing administrative task such as bill-of-materials creation and management and build procedure writing and review.
- Continuing their education. At G&H we offer entry to into degree level and foundation degree level courses for suitable applicants.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000005710.
Apply now
Closes on Friday 13 March 2026