Technical Engineering Apprentice

Location: Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am–5:00pm

Salary: Dependent on experience

Holiday: 20 days + bank holidays

Technical Engineering Apprentice

Location: Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am–5:00pm

Salary: Dependent on experience

Holiday: 20 days + bank holidays

Start date: Immediate

Build a career in engineering — not just an apprenticeship.

3PA Ltd is a small, growing engineering company specialising in bespoke conveyor systems and technical solutions for the plastics processing industry.

We design and manufacture our own conveyor systems in-house, as well as supply, install, service and maintain a wide range of plastic processing machinery including injection moulding machines, blow moulding machines, extruders, material handling systems and automation.

We're now looking for a Technical Engineering Apprentice to join our small team and learn the skills needed to become a fully qualified Service Engineer .

This is a hands‑on role for someone who is genuinely interested in engineering and wants to understand how things work, how things are made and how to fix them when they don't work.

What will you be doing?

You'll start by learning the fundamentals of our business and gradually take on more responsibility as your skills and confidence develop.

Initially, this will include:

• Assembling bespoke conveyor systems from technical drawings
• Cutting, drilling and preparing aluminium, steel and other materials
• Using hand tools and workshop equipment
• Loading and unloading vehicles — forklift training will be provided
• Picking, packing and arranging shipment of spare parts
• General workshop organisation and preparation
• Assisting with customer orders, quotations and technical enquiries
• General office and administrative tasks where required

As your knowledge and experience develops, you'll be given the opportunity to learn and work with:

• CNC machinery — including programming and operation
• 3D printing — including programming and operation
• Conveyor design and CAD
• Designing and quoting bespoke conveyor systems
• Specifying and quoting industrial machinery
• Electrical systems and controls
• PLC programming
• Machinery installation and commissioning
• Fault finding, servicing and preventative maintenance
• Customer site work and machinery installations

The long‑term aim is for the successful candidate to develop into a fully qualified Service Engineer , capable of working independently on a wide range of industrial machinery and automation systems.

As you progress, the role will involve increasing amounts of customer site work, including travel throughout the UK and potentially overseas to visit customers and suppliers.

Who are we looking for?

We're not necessarily looking for someone who already knows everything about engineering — that's what the apprenticeship is for.

We're looking for someone with the right attitude, curiosity and willingness to learn.

You might be a school or college leaver looking for your first step into engineering, or someone slightly older looking for a career change. We're interested in the person and their potential rather than simply their age or previous job title.

Ideally, you'll be:

• Naturally curious and interested in how things work
• Practical and comfortable using basic hand tools
• Someone who enjoys making, building, fixing or taking things apart
• A good problem solver with plenty of initiative
• Willing to have a go at new things
• Comfortable asking questions when you don't understand something
• Confident enough to put forward ideas and suggestions
• Able to work well as part of a small team
• Equally capable of working independently
• Able to identify what needs doing and use your own initiative when working without direct supervision
• Reliable, punctual and conscientious
• A good communicator
• Comfortable with basic computer software such as Outlook, Word and Excel

GCSEs including Maths and English are preferred.

A full driving licence would be advantageous, particularly as the role develops into a field‑based Service Engineer position.

Right to work in the UK is essential.

What we offer

This is an opportunity to learn a huge range of engineering skills within a small company where you'll work closely with experienced engineers and be involved in real projects from day one.

You'll receive:

• Full on‑the‑job training and support
• Apprenticeship/college training as required
• Training to operate a forklift truck
• PPE and appropriate work equipment
• Paid overtime when required
• 20 days' holiday plus bank holidays
• The opportunity to work on customer sites throughout the UK
• Potential overseas travel as your experience develops
• The opportunity to develop into a fully qualified Service Engineer

Why 3PA?

We're a small team, which means you'll have the opportunity to get involved in far more than one narrow area of engineering .

One week you could be building a bespoke conveyor in our workshop. The next you could be learning to program a CNC machine or 3D printer. Further down the line, you could be designing a conveyor, diagnosing a fault on an injection moulding machine, programming a PLC or travelling to a customer's factory to install equipment.

If you're the sort of person who sees a machine and thinks "I wonder how that works?" , we'd like to hear from you.

#J-18808-Ljbffr