Engineering Apprentice

About the Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and ambitious individual to join us as a  Multi-Skilled Engineering Technician Apprentice at our Packaging Manufacturing site at Featherstone.

During this 4-year Apprenticeship programme, in addition to attending learning sessions at college part time (full time in year 1), you will gain hands on operational experience by assisting the Engineering Team in many areas including supporting planned preventative maintenance plans and carrying out reactive repair and improvement on equipment, whilst complying with DS Smith policies, procedures and Safety regulations.

Whilst you will be a based on a site, you will be part of the wider DS Smith team supporting and leading excellence in engineering.

A competitive Apprenticeship starting salary is offered, with incremental increases as you progress through your training.  You will also receive the support of course tutors, workplace coaches and mentors to help you along the way and enable you to develop your skills and potential.

Responsibilities

Complete the required academic and practical training requirements of the apprenticeship.

As you progress through your Apprenticeship you will support the Engineering team in:

• Maintaining and continually improve housekeeping standards in engineering workshops, and when conducting tasks around the site
• Development and execution of a planned preventative maintenance plan
• Carry out reactive repair and improvement of selected equipment
• Understand how and where to source spare parts and service contracts, with a view to continually improving performance while reducing costs
• Maintain comprehensive equipment records, with details of repairs completed, root causes, and corrective actions
• Comply with asset management performance targets set by group and site 
• Record performance to demonstrate adherence to KPIs
• Engage with wider DS Smith engineering teams to ensure the site is fully compliant with all policies, and to stay fully informed of technical developments in the business
• Management of maintenance & repair sub-contractors

Qualifications & Assessment

Minimum of 5 GCSE Grade A-C (4 and above) including English Language, Mathematics and Science or equivalent  

Once you have gone through an initial screening process, you will be asked to complete an online Aptitude Test. Successful candidates will then be invited to an Assessment Day w/c 23rd June 2025. During this Assessment Day, you will take part in a number of individual and group activities and have a 1-2-1 interview with our Engineering Manager.

Things to Consider

You will be expected to balance day-to-day responsibilities within your role, as well as academic work set by the college. You will also be required to travel to and from college and the DS Smith Site throughout the duration of the apprenticeship.  Our DS Smith Apprenticeship scheme will be run in conjunction with, Heart of Yorkshire College - Castleford Campus, Thunderhead Ridge, Castleford WF10 4UA.

Closing date for applications is Friday 30th May 2025

About us

We’re DS Smith, the company who are redefining packaging for a changing world.  We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. Today, we operate in more than 30 different countries, supporting customers across sectors like FMCG, industrial, and e-commerce. We deliver on quality, service, innovation, and added value to deliver market-leading sustainable packaging solutions our customers need. Our industry needs to transform, and we’re building the team to drive change across Europe and North America

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. 

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.

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