Engineering Maintenance Technician

Typical Salary

£18,000 To £40,000

Typical Hours

40 to 42 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Engineering Maintenance Technician

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role

College / University

You could do a foundation degree or higher national diploma in engineering before applying for a job as a trainee technician.

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science

1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

You can take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed in the job. Relevant courses include:

Level 2 Certificate in Mechanical Engineering
Level 2 Certificate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology
Level 3 Diploma in Equipment Maintenance Engineering
Level 3 Diploma in Engineering

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could do an engineering technician advanced apprenticeship, which could be used to work in different industries.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start as an engineering craftworker and become a technician through on-the-job training.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
the ability to work well with your hands
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
problem-solving skills
the ability to work well with others
physical skills like movement, coordination and dexterity
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to work on your own
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

On a typical day you could:

organise routine servicing schedules
allocate work to a team of fitters
check and calibrate instruments to make sure they're accurate
fit new parts as required, or as part of a regular replacement rota
carry out quality inspections on jobs
respond immediately to equipment breakdowns
fix faults on site or arrange for replacement equipment to be installed
keep production managers informed of progress
organise teams or individuals to make sure that 24-hour cover is available
complete documentation like job and fault finding reports, stock control records and risk assessments

Working Environment

You could work in a factory, on a construction site or at a manufacturing plant.

Your working environment may be noisy and outdoors some of the time.

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can get more advice about engineering careers through Tomorrow's Engineers and The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.