Automation Engineer - Apprenticeship

Automation Engineer - Apprenticeship 

Location: Haydock 

Bilfinger UK is a leading engineering and maintenance provider, supporting customers across the chemical & petrochemical, nuclear, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals & biopharma, power & energy, utilities, renewables and food & beverage markets. We enhance the efficiency of assets, ensuring a high level of availability and reducing maintenance costs.

We have extensive experience in offshore and onshore facilities; specialising in asset management services throughout all life cycle phases from consulting, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, operations, maintenance, and decommissioning.

This commitment is delivered by an experienced and highly competent workforce of over 4,500 employees operating from 14 offices in strategic industrial hubs, upholding the highest standards of safety, compliance and quality.

Bilfinger UK are looking for a candidate to join the business as an apprentice Automation Engineer via the industry standard Level 4 apprenticeship in Automation and Controls Engineering Technician scheme within a work placement and day release at Wigan & Leigh College.

For this 4 year, Level 4 apprenticeship, you will undertake a weekly day's release into college where you will study towards your diploma. In addition, you will work with an apprentice trainer in the workplace, where you will learn the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to pass the programme and succeed at assessment

This occupation is found in cross sector (e.g. Automotive, Food & Drink, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Construction), companies involved in manufacturing (discrete or process), logistics or utilities environments.  These employers may be directly involved in these activities or as a provider of services (e.g. systems integration, field service, technical consultancy) to these companies.

Where the role is based inside a manufacturing (discrete or process), logistics or utilities environments, a fully competent Automation Engineer will be able to install, maintain, fault find and optimise hardware and software for automation systems. 

Where the role is based in a service provider, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or approved solutions provider in large or SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) companies, the Automation Engineer will be the interface between the vendor and it’s customer and will be able to competently provide high quality, engineering services such as installation, commissioning, fault finding (the activity of testing an installation prior to handover) and support.  For both iterations of this role, this would involve the above duties across a range of hardware such as on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), robots and Industrial Networks (e.g. PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, PROFINET, ModBus).  Use of physical tools, software tools and instruments (e.g. multi-meter), are fundamental to carrying out tasks associated with building (e.g. control panels), installing (e.g. site cabling) and maintaining of automation systems.

This occupation will give employers the ability to maintain successful operational capability.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation will be part of a multi-disciplinary team for example as a member or leader of a project team, maintenance team, service team that will work alongside other stakeholders for example design, production or coordination that interfaces with internal and external customers alike.  Monitoring of the operation of these systems can be carried out either within in-situ control rooms/offices or remotely via web based/GPRS based mobile communications.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the ordering, coordination of services, working to established operating procedures for resources such as equipment and software to ensure functionality of automation systems are maintained.  In a large company, they would generally report to an engineering manager whereas they may have greater responsibility and autonomy in an SME. Individuals in service provision would certainly find themselves working in a more autonomous situation.  In either situation they would be responsible for their own actions and to protect those around them with respect to health, safety and the environment

Qualifications

• GCSE or equivalent (Grade 4/C or above) in English Language and Mathematics is essential
• Level 3 Qualification or / BTEC in Engineering or A level in STEM related subjects please 

Skills

• Individuals need to have good communication skills, both written and verbal, IT skills, number skills, analytical skills, demonstrate attention to detail, logical attitude and be a team player
• Individuals must be able to demonstrate a willingness and passion to develop skills within industry, be hardworking, confident and organised

If you wish to speak to a member of the recruitment team, please contact 01224 246246.

Electrical | Bilfinger UK Limited | Permanent | Apprentices (Blue-collar) | Student/Apprentice | Engineering    claire.dingwall@bilfinger.com