Title:  Apprentice Technician

Level 3 – Food and Drink Engineering Maintenance Apprenticeship

Whether you’ve just finished your GCSEs (or equivalent) or are ready for an exciting career change, this is your chance to gain valuable skills, earn recognised qualifications, and kickstart your future—all while earning.

From day one, you’ll receive exceptional career support and guidance, helping you grow in a friendly and supportive environment where you can be your authentic self and achieve your best. Let’s brew an incredible future together!

Salary and benefits: £20,000 first-year salary & award-winning double-matched pension plus a fantastic benefits package including all accommodation costs paid for and a food allowance when you're studying.

Application Closing Date: 16th February 2025.

About the role:

Our Level 3 Food and Drink Engineering Maintenance Apprenticeship programme is based at our Tadcaster Brewery, within our manufacturing teams, helping to produce our well-loved brands.

You'll build expertise in process safety, food safety in operations, and equipment maintenance while mastering the use of cutting-edge continuous improvement tools.

As part of your apprenticeship, you’ll cover topics such as mechanical maintenance, electrical maintenance, materials science, control systems, instrumentation, fluid and thermodynamics, servos and variable speed drives, continuous improvement, food safety and quality.

From running production processes to fine-tuning state-of-the-art equipment, you'll gain the skills and confidence to keep our operations running seamlessly and sustainably.

This apprenticeship offers the ultimate blend of hands-on learning and real-world experience, giving you the perfect launchpad for an exciting and rewarding career in the brewing industry.

What you can expect:

Engineering Technicians play a vital role in crafting high-quality drink products, ensuring every step of the manufacturing process runs safely and smoothly.

Their expertise keeps production departments running efficiently, preventing issues from arising by conducting planned and predictive maintenance ensuring equipment and machinery is effectively maintained to optimise production levels. Of course, we can’t always be ahead of the curve so our technicians may also have reactive maintenance to carry out in response to equipment operating ineffectively.

At the heart of their role lies a commitment to food safety, applying Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) to uphold the highest standards. By monitoring processes and evaluating feedback, they ensure products meet strict quality and safety benchmarks.

What your day-to-day may look like:

Throughout the 48-month duration of your apprenticeship, you’ll be learning from technical experts in manufacturing processes and our current Engineering Technicians who have decades of experience within our breweries.

As part of the apprenticeship, you’ll participate in blocks of off-site learning and training with our best-in-class training provider, Midland Group Training Services. Based in Coventry, you’ll spend up to 5 months at a time at their learning centre, gaining theoretical knowledge and practical workshop experience which you’ll apply when back on site.

Be prepared for a dynamic work environment, which will include 12-hour shifts, alternating between days and nights.

What you need to apply:

Education: All applicants must have 5 GSCEs all at Level 4 or equivalent – including Maths at Level 6 and English at Level 4.

Right to Work: All applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK for the duration of their apprenticeship

Other Criteria: All applicants must be 18 years of age or older on or before the 1st September 2025.

To qualify for an apprenticeship, you must have been a resident of the UK for a minimum of three years as of 1st September 2025.

How to apply:

We’ve made our application process simple.

All you need to do is apply with a CV and a cover letter telling us why you want to join our HEINEKEN Apprenticeship programme.

Please note that we won't accept any applications without a cover letter as this is where you can sell yourself and your interests to us!

A cover letter is your time to shine and tell us why you’re a great fit for the role and the company. We’ve put together a few tips to get you started:

• Why would you be great for the role?
• Why you want to join HEINEKEN as an apprentice.
• Anything that sets you apart from other applicants.
• No longer than 3 – 5 paragraphs
• Try not to duplicate your CV