Employers get
a technician who can install, maintain and fault-find complex automated equipment, working confidently across electrical, electronic, mechanical, fluid power and control systems. They keep high-value equipment running safely and to spec.
Learners get
a Level 3 qualification that opens doors across aerospace, aviation, automotive, defence, logistics, pharmaceutical, energy, food and drink, and wider advanced manufacturing.
Key information
LEVEL - Level 3
DURATION - Typically 48 months overall – 42 months to gateway, plus six months for end-point assessment
QUALIFICATION - Level 3 Engineering Apprenticeship – Mechatronics Maintenance Technician (ST1326)
FUNDING BAND - £27,000
Mechatronics maintenance technicians work on some of the most complex equipment in modern manufacturing.
These are automated systems that blend mechanical, electrical, electronic, control and fluid power technologies in a single machine.
Apprentices complete a mandatory Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (or the equivalent Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering – Development Knowledge). They follow one of two pathways (multi-skilled/mechanical or electrical/electronic) that best match their specialism, and are evaluated by an independent end-point assessor.
Make UK is the national body for UK manufacturing, and our Tech Hub in Aston trains engineering apprentices for employers of all sizes.
Training takes place in a purpose-built facility with industry-experienced tutors, that’s rated 4.8 on Trustpilot and Ofsted Grade 2, working with employers of all sizes and sectors.
And if you'd like to see the equipment and facilities behind this training for yourself, come and visit the Tech Hub.
FAQs
A technician trained through Make UK can set up safe systems of work, meeting statutory regulations and organisational compliance requirements, and manufacture, repair or refurbish components using a range of hand and machine tools.
They can carry out mechatronics maintenance activities, ensuring all parts and consumables used comply with manufacturer specifications, and revise, edit, update and store documentation in line with organisational policy.
They can carry out planned preventative maintenance, including functional, static and operational checks on complex equipment and assets, and apply condition monitoring techniques – such as oil, vibration or thermal analysis and non-destructive testing – to determine equipment condition.
They can use a range of test and measuring equipment to aid fault diagnosis, and return equipment to operational condition, reconnecting ancillary equipment and services and confirming serviceability through functional, static and quality checks.
They can restore the workplace to a safe condition, handing over completed work to the responsible parties, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement that add value to the business.
They communicate with a wide range of stakeholders including other technicians, engineering leaders, production teams, business managers, customers and contractors to get work done.
Technicians trained to this standard may work shifts, at height or in confined spaces, and around hazards including high voltages, high pressures and ionising radiation, across factories, hangars, workshops and outdoor sites.
This standard applies across aerospace, aviation, automotive, defence, logistics, pharmaceutical, energy, food and drink, and wider advanced manufacturing and engineering businesses.
Typical job titles: Mechatronics maintenance technician, mechatronics technician, multi-skilled site maintenance technician, field service maintenance technician, maintenance technician, maintenance team member.
As a mechatronics maintenance technician apprentice, you'll spend most of your time in the workplace, applying what you're learning to real maintenance work on complex automated equipment.
You'll attend the Make UK Tech Hub in Aston for the mandatory Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, typically completed over two to three years on a block release basis.
Your employer chooses the pathway that best matches your specialism: a multi-skilled/mechanical route covering engineering materials, mechanical principles, engineering drawing, maintenance procedures and fault diagnosis, or an electrical/electronic route covering three-phase motors, drives and systems alongside electrical and electronic principles.
Both routes also cover health and safety, communications, maths, an engineering project, and business operations in engineering.
In your first year, your employer also chooses how your practical skills training is delivered: either an accredited route leading to a formal EAL Level 2 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, or a non-accredited route covering the same ground without the additional formal qualification.
Whichever route, you'll follow one of three options matched to your specialism – multi-skilled, mechanical, or electrical – covering business improvement and hand fitting throughout, plus a mix of mechanical maintenance, fluid power, turning, milling and welding on the mechanical side, or electrical and programmable controller systems, panel wiring and cable enclosure work on the electrical side.
Off-the-job training makes up more than six hours a week of your apprenticeship throughout the programme.
Employers can add specialist appreciation weeks in turning, pneumatics, MIG welding, CNC, milling, electronics, hydraulics or robotics, broadening an apprentice's exposure at an additional cost per module.
Employers who want fuller, formally assessed competence evidence can also opt into an EAL Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering – Mechatronics Maintenance Technical.
This isn't a mandatory part of the standard, doesn't require further time at the Tech Hub, and is assessed in the workplace across years two to four. It even includes specialist options for servicing medical equipment – from imaging and laboratory equipment to anaesthetic, dental and radiotherapy systems – reflecting how far this standard reaches into pharmaceutical and healthcare-adjacent manufacturing.
Mechatronics technicians progress into senior and lead maintenance roles, specialist technical positions – including medical equipment servicing – maintenance engineering, and further study.
The programme typically takes 48 months overall – 42 months to gateway, plus a further six months for end-point assessment. Exact timings depend on prior experience, occupational role and any relevant Assessment of Prior Learning and Knowledge.
Training is split between your workplace and block release periods at the Make UK Tech Hub.
Before moving to gateway, your employer must be satisfied you're occupationally competent. You'll need to confirm you're ready for end-point assessment (EPA), have achieved English and maths in line with the apprenticeship funding rules, have passed your mandatory qualification, and submit a portfolio of evidence – typically ten discrete pieces mapped to the standard's knowledge, skills and behaviours, drawn from real workplace documentation, witness statements, annotated photographs or short video clips.
End-point assessment typically takes six months and consists of two parts: an observation with questions, and an interview underpinned by your portfolio. The observation is graded Fail or Pass; the interview is graded Fail, Pass or Distinction. Your overall apprenticeship grade is Fail, Pass or Distinction.
If a re-sit or re-take is needed, the grade is capped at Pass. A re-sit typically takes place within three months, and a re-take within six months.
This qualification is for new entrants starting out in mechatronics maintenance, and no prior experience is expected.
Apprentices who are comfortable working across multiple engineering disciplines, and confident tackling problems on complex, automated equipment, will get a broad grounding across mechanical, electrical, electronic, fluid power and control systems.
Applicants will need four GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including maths, plus English at grade 4 or above. Anyone with English below grade 4 will need at least a grade 3, and if they're under 18 at enrolment, they'll continue studying English and work towards Level 2 Functional Skills within their first year.
The Mechatronics Maintenance Technician – Level 3 apprenticeship is government-funded through the apprenticeship levy. The funding band for this programme is £27,000.
If your business pays into the Growth and Skills Levy, training costs are drawn from your levy account.
If your payroll is under £3 million a year, you don't pay the levy. The government covers 95% of training costs and you contribute 5% of the training fee plus the apprentice's wage, which must be in line with the national apprenticeship wage.
If you choose the accredited practical skills route in year one, or add optional appreciation weeks (at £950 per module) or the optional EAL Level 3 Diploma, each carries its own registration and certification cost, agreed with your employer separately and invoiced in the first year, as they aren't covered by the levy.
Find out more about how funding works here.
Ready to take the next step?
For employers
If your equipment spans multiple disciplines and you need one technician who can handle all of it, let's talk about what a mechatronics apprentice could do for your business.
Want the full picture first? Here’s how it works for employers, from your first enquiry through to your apprentice's first day.
Or come and see the kit for yourself. Book a visit to our Tech Hub in Aston and put your questions to us directly.
If you're still weighing up whether an apprenticeship is right for your business, see why employers take on apprentices.
For learners
Like the idea of working across mechanical, electrical and control systems in one role? Here's how to apply and what happens next.
Want a real sense of what training here involves? Hear what life is like as an apprentice on the programme.
Think another route might suit you better? Take a look at our other programmes.
If you're a learner deciding whether this route is for you, see why an apprenticeship could work for you.