26-0014 Apprentice Manufacturing Technician
WILLIAM LEE LIMITED
Derbyshire (S18 2XU)
Closes on Friday 31 July 2026
Posted on 14 January 2026
Contents
Summary
This apprenticeship offers clear long‐term career potential, with successful apprentices often progressing into senior technician, supervisory, or even managerial roles within the company.
- Wage
-
£14,918.80 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Engineering and manufacturing support technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
You will work Monday to Friday. Your start and finish times including your shift pattern will be determined by the employing company.
38 hours a week
- Start date
-
Wednesday 9 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years 6 months
- Positions available
-
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
Role & responsibilities:
- Follow all health and safety procedures, including PPE use, risk assessments, and safe working practices
- Support the preparation of molds, cores, patterns, and tooling used in casting
- Learn the principles of furnace operation, melting, and metal pouring
- Learn to operate tools and machinery safely under supervision
- Help carry out routine inspections, basic maintenance tasks, and equipment checks
- Support quality control activities, including dimensional checks, defect identification, and documentation
- Learn how to inspect castings for defects and support quality checks
- Record basic production and quality data accurately
- Learn how to use CAD software to read, interpret, and make simple edits to engineering drawings (with training)
- Assist with continuous improvement projects aimed at efficiency, safety, or quality enhancements
- Maintain accurate records of work completed, materials used, and issues identified
- Keep work areas clean, organised, and compliant with safety and quality standards
Where you'll work
Callywhite Lane
Dronfield
Derbyshire
S18 2XU
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Training course
Engineering and manufacturing support technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Follow health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, segregation of resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Comply with engineering standards and regulations. For example, British Standards (BS), International Organisation for Standardisation standards (ISO). European Norm (EN).
- Analyse engineering and manufacturing data and information to support technical outputs. For example, read and interpret text, data, engineering drawings, work instructions, method statements, operation manuals.
- Apply scientific, technical or engineering principles.
- Apply problem solving techniques to solutions for identified technical problems.
- Organise, plan and prioritise workflow and scheduling of work with stakeholders.
- Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, considering cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Produce job specific technical outputs. For example, engineering drawings, quality control management, computer control programming, business improvement, adverse incident reports, technical investigations, equipment appraisals and specifications.
- Provide support and guidance for handover of work to stakeholders. For example, checklists, product or process status, access to supporting documents.
- Record information - paper based or electronic. For example, energy usage, equipment service records, test results, handover documents, checklists.
- Follow standard operating procedures.
- Follow manufacturer's instructions. For example, safe instructions for use of products, processes and machinery.
- Apply quality assurance and control principles and practices. For example, conduct physical checks, take samples, inspections or tests.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques.
- Apply team working principles.
- Communicate in writing with others for example, stakeholders, colleagues, and managers.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Carry out and record learning and development activities.
- Apply equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Follow health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, segregation of resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Comply with engineering standards and regulations. For example, British Standards (BS), International Organisation for Standardisation standards (ISO). European Norm (EN).
- Analyse engineering and manufacturing data and information to support technical outputs. For example, read and interpret text, data, engineering drawings, work instructions, method statements, operation manuals.
- Apply scientific, technical or engineering principles.
- Apply problem solving techniques to solutions for identified technical problems.
- Organise, plan and prioritise workflow and scheduling of work with stakeholders.
- Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, considering cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Produce job specific technical outputs. For example, engineering drawings, quality control management, computer control programming, business improvement, adverse incident reports, technical investigations, equipment appraisals and specifications.
- Provide support and guidance for handover of work to stakeholders. For example, checklists, product or process status, access to supporting documents.
- Record information - paper based or electronic. For example, energy usage, equipment service records, test results, handover documents, checklists.
- Follow standard operating procedures.
- Follow manufacturer's instructions. For example, safe instructions for use of products, processes and machinery.
- Apply quality assurance and control principles and practices. For example, conduct physical checks, take samples, inspections or tests.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques.
- Apply team working principles.
- Communicate in writing with others for example, stakeholders, colleagues, and managers.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Use information and digital technology. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Carry out and record learning and development activities.
- Apply equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
Training schedule
You will study on a Level 3 Engineering and manufacturing support technician apprenticeship. On completion of this, you will gain a qualification in Engineering at Level 3 standard.
During the first year of the apprenticeship, you're learning will take place at the University of Sheffield’s AMRC Training Centre based at Catcliffe, Rotherham, for an initial block of study on a full-time basis. After this, you will attend the Training Centre for one day a week for knowledge study.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English Language (grade 4)
- Mathematics (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
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Team working
About this employer
William Lee is one of the largest foundries in the UK and British Owned. It’s continual investment in plant, processes and a dedicated workforce has enabled the company to be extremely successful, with over 150 years of history and long-term plans. We supply global markets to blue chip companies including BMW, Mercedes, Daimler.
After this apprenticeship
Completion of the University of Sheffield’s AMRC Training Centre apprenticeships are nationally recognised qualifications which are acknowledged and respected by employers across the world. These can open the door to many more opportunities, such as Engineering Management and Project Engineering positions across a range of sectors worldwide.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000008613.
Apply now
Closes on Friday 31 July 2026
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.