Are you looking for someone new to engineering?
If you’re bringing in someone with no engineering experience, The Standard apprenticeship is the right route for you. This could be a school-leaver, someone changing careers or anyone else starting from scratch. A standard apprenticeship typically takes around four years, and can go up to Level 2, 3 and 4 depending on the standard.
Apprenticeship standards are the specifications for what a qualified person in a specific role must know and be able to do. Make UK, as the national body for manufacturing, helps shape the ones relevant to engineering. Apprentices come out with a specific, recognised role, not just a certificate. This could be a welder who can pass surface inspection across two welding processes, or a maintenance engineer who can fault-find on the line.
See the full list of individual programme pages to find out more.
Are you looking to upskill someone already working in engineering?
Have you got someone in your business who already knows the job,
but they need to learn a specific skill, or to get formal recognition?
There are three options, depending on how much time you’ve got and how big the skills gap is:
- The accelerated route
- A levy-funded unit
- Commercial training
Standard apprenticeship
Best for - New entrants to Engineering
Duration - Three to four years
What you get - A qualified engineer who knows your business
Accelerated apprenticeship
Best for - Existing staff with engineering experience
Duration - About two years
What you get - Level 3 qualification
Levy-funded engineering apprenticeship units
Best for - Filling specific skills gaps quickly
Duration - Two to three weeks
What you get - Targeted training in a single discipline
Commercial training
Best for - Bespoke learning
Duration - Varies
What you get - Training tailored to your workforce and sector
This is for experienced engineers who need training that doesn’t repeat what they already know.
We assess what they can already do, then build a tailored programme around the skills gaps.
Reaching the same Level 3 Engineering Maintenance Technician typically takes 24 to 30 months, about half the time of the standard route.
It's the same standard on an accelerated path, because your employee isn't starting from scratch.
Learn more about the accelerated Engineering Maintenance Technician programme.
Apprenticeship Units are short, focused programmes that can address immediate needs within weeks.
They’re great for filling a specific, narrow skills gap rather than a full qualification.
Our Mechanical Fitting & Assembly and Electrical Fitting & Assembly units each run for around three weeks and are part-funded through the levy.
If you’re looking for a short course, compliance training or a skills assessment, an apprenticeship pathway might not be the right route for you.
We offer commercial training that’s designed to meet your needs, so tell us how we can help.
Learn more about Make UK’s commercial training
The difference comes down to what your apprentice can be trusted to handle alone.
At Level 2, your apprentice works safely and competently to clear instructions. They might be operating, fitting or fabricating to a set process, and flagging problems rather than solving them alone.
With Level 3, they understand the process well enough to make judgement calls and work with less supervision.
At Level 4, they’re trusted with open problems and solve issues that don’t have an obvious answer. They’re often working directly with your customers, suppliers or quality teams, not just the shop floor.
The funding band is the amount the government will contribute towards the cost of training for a given apprenticeship standard.
Funding bands are set per standard, not per level. So there’s no single figure for Level 2 or Level 3 as a whole.
As an example, the Level 2 General Welder has a £13,000 funding band, which covers the full cost of delivery.
Meanwhile, Engineering Maintenance Technician Level 3 has a funding band of £27,000. We can deliver within that, and many employers choose to invest a little more once they've seen the full scope of training on offer.
For other standards, we'll confirm the funding band and any top-up when we talk about your apprentice’s specific role.
Find out more about funding and costs for apprenticeships.
We'll always tell you which applies before your apprentice starts, so there are no surprises.
All our apprenticeship training takes place at the Make UK Tech Hub in Aston. That includes engineering and manufacturing programmes, which are delivered by our own tutors, and courses outside engineering, such as digital, data, AI and productivity tools.
Not sure which one is right for you?
Most employers don’t work this out alone, so let us help you find the right training for you.
Tell us about your skills gap, and we'll point you to the right route.