Advanced Apprenticeship (Level 3) Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician

Maintenance & Operations Engineering Technicians covers 7 roles: Electrical Technicians; Mechanical Technicians; Control & Instrumentation Technicians; Wind Turbine Technicians Electrical System and Process Control Technicians; Electromechanical Technicians and Plant Operations Technicians. They will maintain the safety, integrity and effective operation of plant and equipment in one or more of the following Industries that are part of or have activities that are part of the broader national infrastructure Engineering Sector: the electricity generating environment, which may use a range of different fuels including coal, gas, nuclear, wind and other renewable sources; telecommunications power plants; oil and gas refining; nuclear waste reprocessing; processing and production of chemicals; pharmaceuticals; human and animal food; cosmetics; petrochemicals; sewerage and the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas.

Electrical/Mechanical/Control and Instrumentation/Wind Turbine Technicians will work on various types of plant and equipment commonly found throughout the Engineering Industry sectors and the Technicians can be expected to migrate through these sectors during the course of their careers. Dependent upon the sector that they are employed in there may be subtle differences in terms of the composition and application of the plant and equipment. However, the fundamental principles of operation will be the same regardless of the engineering sector.

To support the business and operational requirements of modern integrated engineered production plant and services, Electrical Systems and Process Control Technicians and Electromechanical Technicians will need to apply a range of conventional skills and knowledge to undertake engineering activities on a selection of electromechanical and process control plant, systems and equipment.

These Technicians will undertake installation, testing, servicing, removal, replacement, maintenance and repair of a range of equipment, sometimes complex, as part of planned preventative and reactive maintenance programmes. They may also undertake decommissioning activities when plant is being removed from service.

Plant Operation Technicians will undertake the safe and efficient operation of complex integrated energy conversion and production plant and systems. These activities could include plant commissioning, isolation and testing, plant preparation, plant start-up and shut down, monitoring and controlling plant and dealing with critical operational problems.