Engineering maintenance technician
Engineering maintenance technicians service and repair equipment in industries like manufacturing, production and transport.
- Starter salary£27,000 a year
- Experienced£48,000 a year
- Typical hours40 to 42 a week
What you'll do
As an engineering maintenance technician, you could:
- organise routine service schedules and assign tasks
- maintain electrical and mechanical systems like motors, gearboxes and pumps
- check instrument control panels
- find and fix faults and arrange for replacement parts
- complete job reports and inform production managers of progress
- do risk assessments and safety checks
- keep stock control and work records up to date
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.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- practical skills for repairing and maintaining equipment
- problem-solving skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to make decisions about tools and equipment
- the ability to work well with your hands
- the ability to work on your own
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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
University
You could do a foundation degree or higher national diploma in engineering before applying for a job as a trainee technician.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 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
College
You could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to get a trainee position.
Courses include:
- engineering
- engineering technology
- mechanical engineering
- electrical and electronic engineering
- T Level in Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing
- T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
Apprenticeship
You could apply to a company to do an apprenticeship, such as:
- Engineering and Manufacturing Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
- Engineering Maintenance Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Mechatronics Maintenance Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
You could also apply for a place on an intermediate or advanced apprenticeship in a specific industry, like:
- aviation
- compressed air and vacuum manufacturing
- lifting equipment
- rail engineering
- heavy vehicle servicing
Work
You could start as an engineering operative and become a technician through on-the-job training and promotion.
Foundation apprenticeship
You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.
If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- are in care or have been in care
- are in prison or have been in prison
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- complete a Lead Engineering Maintenance Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship to become a senior maintenance technician
- do further training to qualify as a maintenance engineer in a particular field, like mechanical, electrical or building services
- move into technical sales, maintenance team management or contract management
- become a further education teacher and train future engineers
Guides for this industry
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