It’s time to start something amazing. If you’re looking to be part of a better energy future, this apprenticeship will give you the skills, confidence and qualifications to join our industry’s next generation.
Our Engineering Maintenance Apprenticeship Scheme is a four-year programme which focuses on the skills required to maintain nuclear power stations as well as the attitudes and behaviours essential to the safe operation of our plants. Upon completion, you’ll be awarded an Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Certificate in Engineering, and you’ll also have attained a BTEC and an NVQ Level 3, with the option to progress onto HNC.
The programme runs for four years, the first two of which are based at the Royal Naval base at HMS Sultan near Portsmouth, Hampshire. During this time you’ll undergo training in academic and workshop environments to ensure you gain an excellent introduction to engineering and develop a strong skills foundation. Part of this programme also covers the development of life skills, like confidence and communication.
Duration
Four years.
Application deadline
This scheme is currently closed for applications and will re-open in November 2013.
We're proud to have been awarded the Macro Employer of the Year 2012 Apprentices award for the Thames Valley Region. Click to find out more.
Requirements
We’re looking for people with at least five GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade C or above in Maths, English and at least two science subjects. You’ll also need a talent for practical subjects and have a real desire to learn and develop your skills.
Where it could take you
After my apprenticeship, there are many opportunities available for me there are many routes I can follow to develop my career, including further education.
Amy Marchment, 1st Year Engineering Maintenance Apprentice
At the end of your apprenticeship the doors will open to the larger organisation. If you want to progress up the career ladder, you can take on people management responsibilities and develop into a maintenance team leader. Or you can choose the technical route and take your first steps towards becoming an engineer. And it doesn’t stop there. Both routes have masses of potential for you to branch out into different parts of the business. So you could become a manager at one of our Nuclear New Build sites, or one of the engineers helping to develop new technology. With hard work, there really are no limits to how far you can go – not just within EDF Energy, but within the worldwide EDF Group.
Where you'll be based
This apprenticeship will see you spend a total of four years at two very different locations. The first two years will be spent gaining a solid grounding at HMS Sultan, and the final two will see you complete your training at one of our power stations as part of the Maintenance team.
Before you head down to the south coast, you’ll have a week of team building in the Lake District, which will allow you to get to know the other apprentices and meet the new people you’ll be sharing accommodation with. Whilst at HMS Sultan, you’ll get support from a dedicated development team and a 24-hour residential care team. You’ll also have access to a wide range of leisure facilities that offer a fantastic opportunity to experience a variety of sport activities. And if sport isn’t your thing, we have an apprentice band that regularly meet and practice, plus plenty of spaces to study, relax and unwind in the evening and at the weekends.
You’ll also find a full-time EDF Energy Apprentice Manager on hand to deal with any day-to-day issues and support you throughout your first two years of training. All meals and accommodation are provided during this time, along with a number of paid journeys home.
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Training & development
Years 1 and 2
Based at HMS Sultan, a Royal Naval base, you’ll have access to excellent training facilities as part of our academic and workshop training programme. It’s here that you’ll get your introduction to engineering and develop those key skills.
Years 3 and 4
You’ll return to your base location and join the Maintenance team at one of our power stations. Here, you’ll work alongside and learn from fully qualified professionals, developing your knowledge and skills at the same time as completing your academic and vocational qualifications.
Upon completion of your apprenticeship, you’ll be awarded an Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Certificate of Engineering. By this point, you’ll also have gained an ONC equivalent BTEC Level 3 and an NVQ Level 3 as well as an excellent selection of practical skills. It’s everything you need to start your career and, if you excel, there may also be the option to progress onto HNC.
At the end of the four-year programme, we expect you to be appointed to a Maintenance Technician role at your base power station. And while this will be subject to you completing the scheme to a satisfactory level, we know you have it in you to succeed.
Meet us
Meet some of our first and second year apprentices and their teachers at HMS Sultan.
Hear some of our recent apprentices talk about their experiences and what they’ve learned over their four years.
Some of our first and second year apprentices and their teachers describe what it's like to be based away from home at HMS Sultan near Portsmouth.
As you learn and develop on the apprentice scheme, you’ll be taking home a salary which has the potential to grow as you gain more experience. Basic pay will range from approximately £9,865 in the first year and will increase each year up to approximately £18,623 by year four. In your first two years at HMS Sultan, we’ll also pay for your accommodation and meals, as well as a number of paid return journeys home.
You’ll receive plenty of holidays too – 23 days, plus bank holidays. And you’ll enjoy an impressive range of company benefits, just like the rest of the team.
Recruitment process
Our recruitment process is designed to make sure that you're right for us and we're right for you. If you’re successful in joining us, you'll be on the path to a rewarding career that offers the chance to be part of the UK's energy future. Here’s how to get started.
When you apply online you’ll be asked to upload your CV and answer some questions related to your skills and experience. Be sure to take the time to fill these out thoroughly.
2. Application review
Your application will be carefully reviewed by the EDF Energy team. We’ll take into account your educational qualifications, skills and experience, and we’ll let you know you whether or not you’ll be progressing to the next stage of the process as soon as possible.
3. Assessments
If we like the look of your application, you’ll be invited to undertake some assessments at one of our offices. You’ll be told the outcome of your tests within 14 days.
4. Interview
If you’re successful in passing the testing phase, we’ll invite you back for a face-to-face interview and assessment session. Here, you’ll meet people from the business and be asked about your motivation for undertaking an apprenticeship as well as your educational and work experience.
After this final stage, we’ll let you know whether or not we’re offering you a position. We’ll try to do this within three weeks of your interview.
As an Apprentice, you'll be based at one of EDF Energy’s nuclear power station sites within the UK. This station will be your home location, and you will be based here on a full-time basis during the third year of your scheme and beyond.
During the first two years of the scheme you will be based at HMS Sultan near Portsmouth, although you will have the opportunity to work at your home location outside of term time (for example at Christmas, Easter or during the summer).
After an initial induction, you’ll spend your first two years at the Royal Navy base at HMS Sultan, where you’ll be introduced to basic engineering and will start studying towards NVQ and BTEC qualifications. You’ll also be given the option to get involved in other activities that support your development, like educational visits to European destinations. These will help you to develop the communication and personal skills you’ll need to become a valued member of one of our maintenance teams.
After these two years, you’ll join one of the maintenance teams at your base nuclear power station. During your third and fourth years, you’ll put the skills you’ve learned into practice. And, as well as gaining valuable practical experience working alongside skilled professionals, you’ll also complete your academic and vocational studies. When you’ve successfully completed the four-year scheme, you’ll gain a nationally recognised qualification – an advanced modern apprenticeship certificate of engineering.
On your free evenings and weekends, you’ll be able to take advantage of a superb range of sport and leisure facilities. There is plenty to do at HMS Sultan for people with a wide range of interests. You may wish to join one of the bands set up by Apprentices, join a local rugby or golf club, hit the shops in Portsmouth or Southampton, work out in the on-site gym, or play a game of tennis or football with one of the many teams at the base.
We’ll pay for your accommodation, food and a number of return journeys home each year, so you can focus on taking advantage of the facilities available developing your abilities.
If you’re successful in passing the testing phase, we’ll invite you back for a face-to-face interviNo. It’s the responsibility of every apprentice to travel to and from your home station on a daily basis during holiday periods in the first two years of the scheme, and on an ongoing basis in the third and fourth years.
That said, in your first two years, all apprentices are entitled to a number of paid journeys home from HMS Sultan. And if you need to transport large amounts of baggage to and from the base, we’ll make sure you have the assistance you need. w and assessment session at the power station for which you have applied.
It will be received by Recruitment Services and processed after the closing date. We’ll email you when your application status changes during the recruitment process.
Under the Nuclear Generating Stations (Security) Regulations 1996 there is a requirement for security clearances. Should you be successful at interview, the post for which you are applying will require your security clearance before an unconditional offer of employment can be made.
The security clearance is in two parts: • a check to confirm proof of identity and references • a criminal record check.
No security checks are carried out before you acceptance a conditional offer with us.
Yes. You’ll undergo a medical check before you start your new role. Your conditional offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory medical results. The medical will include a drugs and alcohol test.
Here at EDF Energy we're committed to building a company we can all be proud of; one that's admired in the community and recognised as the UK's centre of operational nuclear expertise. To achieve those goals, we need to attract, recruit and retain the very best talent from the widest possible pool. Which is why we’re open to all, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. We recruit purely on merit and treat all individuals fairly and impartially, without prejudice. And we never tolerate harassment in any form.
Gallery
Want to see for yourself what it’s like on our Engineering Maintenance Apprenticeship? Have a flick through our photo gallery to put yourself in the picture.
After my apprenticeship, there are many opportunities available for me there are many routes I can follow to develop my career, including further education. 
