What is an Apprenticeship?

As an apprenticeship you are employed as full-time members of staff and typically work for an employer three to four days a week. One or two days a week is spent at college, studying for nationally-recognised qualifications in the same profession as the apprenticeship.

• You must find your own employer.
• Some employers may require GCSEs on entry.
• It might be possible to do an apprenticeship with a current employer.
• You work all year round, but your College classes run from September to July.

Employers pay for the day the apprentice is in college, meaning you will receive a full-time wage at least  in accordance with the national minimum wage

Details and restrictions

• Apprentices must be aged 16 or above. There is no upper age limit, which means you can start an apprenticeship at any stage of your career.
• Potential apprentices can be existing or new employees including graduates or about to take up a permanent paid employment offer. An existing employee must be in a new job that requires a substantial amount of learning and skills development.  You must be employed by a company that has a base in Northern Ireland and is registered as an employer with HMRC and be contracted to work a minimum of 21 hours per week with one employer.

• You will study a Level 2 City and Guilds in Engineering in Year 1 and a Level 2 NVQ and year 2.
• You will be required to attend the college for 2 days per week in year 1 and 1 day per week in year 2. The remainder of your working time will be spent in employment.
• The industrial link provided by the apprenticeship route is an excellent method of gaining access to the work experience required to enter industry while simultaneously attaining a recognised qualification.

Assessment is a mixture of on-site work-based assessment, in-college coursework assessment and external examination.

You will study a range of engineering based subjects which are aimed at providing a broad understanding of both electrical and mechanical engineering. Subjects, such as CAD, secondary machining, robotics, electrical circuits and microprocessors, are backed up with theoretical principles of mechanical and electrical engineering and mathematics. Every effort is made to ensure a good mix of practical and theoretical study; however, the topics described herein are subject to change without notice.

Many apprenticeship candidates go on to continued employment with their apprenticeship employer. Others move within industry, leveraging their new qualifications and industrial experience.

Successful candidates who wish to continue along the academic route are afforded access to the Level 3 Engineering programmes offered by Further Education Colleges across the UK. This may be used as a stand-a-lone qualification or used as access to higher study pathways.

You must:

• 5 GCSEs at D or above.  This must include Maths.
• Have attained the minimum school leaving age of 16 on or before 1 July in the year of proposed entry to the course
• Be employed or be about to take up permanent paid employment with a Northern Ireland-based company and be contracted to work a minimum of 21 hours per week (including day release/off- the-job training) with one employer
• Have the potential to successfully complete all the requirements of the appropriate Level 2 Apprenticeship Framework
• Meet any health requirements (eg colour vision) specific to the occupation of their choice
• Achieved any necessary entry academic qualifications (eg GCSE) determined by the relevant sector for the apprenticeship and approved by the Department for the Economy.  These are outlined above.
• Pass any entry tests specified by the relevant sector/employer and approved by the Department for the Economy.
• Attend an information session.

All relevant paperwork should be uploaded to the admissions portal prior to being considered for an apprenticeship, this should include your:

• Employer response form
• Vision verification form (Electrical Installation only)
• One form of official photographic ID
• Official proof of your National Insurance number eg Letter from HMRC

To access the forms and for further details visit our Apprenticeship page