Manufacturing Technician Apprentice

Summary

Waterside Training in partnership with AB World Foods based at Leigh has five fantastic opportunities for apprentices to join their production team to support the manufacturing operations as Manufacturing Technician Apprentices. Fully employed while completing a Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician qualification.

Wage

£16,200 a year

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The advertised Apprentice wage will increase yearly or upon completion of progressive stage. Apprentices have fantastic future prospects within ABWF and the wider ABF group. After qualifying you could go on to supervisory roles or senior management

Training course

Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3)

Hours

Waterside Hours 1st Years: 8.45am - 4.30pm, Monday - Friday. AB World Foods Site Hours; will vary dependant on shift patterns. This shift pattern in the later stages of your apprenticeship will involve morning, afternoon and evening shifts.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

3 years

Positions available

4

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you’ll do at work

As a Technician you will cover roles within the Paste, Pappadum and Sauce teams with the aim to understand and gain experience in each of the core roles of Sauce/Paste Batching Technician, Sauce Filling Technician, Pappadum Extrusion Technician within the factory.

The three-year programme has an exciting, blended learning approach of in-the-classroom and on-the-job training right at the heart of an enormous global manufacturing operation. You will cover broad based training and grounding in Electrical and Mechanical skills alongside maintenance, lean manufacturing and business improvement techniques at Waterside Training in St Helens with years 2/3 working on plant at Leigh alongside qualified technicians tackling “real life” activities.

The apprenticeship will be targeted at the Technician role, reporting to the Team Leaders, the aim will be for the apprentice to understand each of the core roles and also gain experience of the support roles within the factory and the Paste, Pappadum and Sauce teams.

Operating key pieces of equipment on the line working on highly automated plant and equipment. Technician’s are at the heart of the manufacturing and business processes, without this key role no product would be developed or produced.
You will support the manufacturing process by working within a team to carry out preparation, start up, operation and close down including product changeovers and handovers.
Completing regular quality and process control checks.

All tasks must be completed in a manner to achieve the safe, hygienic, efficient and best-cost manufacture of all designated products to the required quality, specification and quantity.

You must also be proactive towards Health & Safety within the Safe System of Work and engage with our continuous improvement agenda working within our quality parameters to ensure good quality output.
Carrying out analytical tests during production and making any necessary adjustments to machine settings or products to meet agreed quality standards.

To be a Technician you need to have a good understanding of Engineering techniques to be able to resolve problems with machinery and or production processes.

Being proactive to Health and Safety working within defined safe systems of work, improving health and safety and demonstrating the correct behaviours and report unsafe acts.
You will engage with the continuous improvement agenda seeking out new opportunities to take an active role in all CI activities working to set standards in a FMCG facility to control and set machinery.
You will work towards total Quality Assurance by ensuring all hygiene tasks are carried out and maintained in a clean and tidy state, proactively report pest control issues and manage process quality parameters to ensure good quality output.

Where you’ll work

Kiribati Way
Leigh
WN7 5RS

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

ST HELENS COLLEGE

Your training course

Process industry manufacturing technician (level 3)

Equal to A level

Course contents

Review instructions or information to understand the task.
Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
Identify hazards and risks in the workplace and personal safety and mitigation measures.
Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance.
Follow environment emergency procedures. For example, make area safe, evacuate.
Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
Apply standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Check equipment.
Select, check, and prepare raw materials for process for example, weighing, measuring, control and blending, conditioning, dissolving, and sanitisation.
Set and adjust processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
Monitor process for example, take readings and conduct walk-arounds.
Conduct the control of product streams to maintain specifics.
Apply quality assurance procedures. For example, density checks, contaminant check, and take samples for laboratory testing.
Apply intermediate or post-manufacturing procedure for example, labelling, packing, storage, visual inspection, discharge.
Manage waste streams.
Clean equipment for example, boil-outs, steam-outs, bake-outs, steam in place SIP, clean in place (CIP).
Conduct calculations for example, conversations, tare weight, charge weights, yield calculations.
Store tools and equipment.
Identify equipment for handover.
Apply signage and access restriction measures.
Shut down the process and equipment.
Isolate process and systems.
Complete isolation checks.
Empty equipment for example, drain, purge, vent, and de-pressure.
Purge, fill, pressurise and leak test.
Complete post maintenance equipment checks.
Line-up equipment.
Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic for chemical or petrochemical processing.
De-isolate process, mechanical and electrical systems.
Complete pre-start up checks.
Start-up plant and equipment.
Re-start process.
Record or enter information - paper based or electronic.
Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data.
Interpret drawings and graphs.
Identify issues for example, defects, deviations, process variance, and maintenance requirements.
Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
Apply problem solving and fault-finding techniques.
Apply continuous improvement techniques. Make a suggestion for improvement.
Use information and digital technology for example, management information systems, human machine interfaces, word processing, spreadsheet, email, virtual learning platforms, document sharing platforms. Comply with cyber security requirements.
Produce written documents for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
Apply team working principles.
Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development (CPD) activities.
Review instructions or information to understand the task.
Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
Identify hazards and risks in the workplace and personal safety and mitigation measures.
Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance.
Follow environment emergency procedures. For example, make area safe, evacuate.
Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
Apply standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Check equipment.
Select, check, and prepare raw materials for process for example, weighing, measuring, control and blending, conditioning, dissolving, and sanitisation.
Set and adjust processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
Monitor process for example, take readings and conduct walk-arounds.
Conduct the control of product streams to maintain specifics.
Apply quality assurance procedures. For example, density checks, contaminant check, and take samples for laboratory testing.
Apply intermediate or post-manufacturing procedure for example, labelling, packing, storage, visual inspection, discharge.
Manage waste streams.
Clean equipment for example, boil-outs, steam-outs, bake-outs, steam in place SIP, clean in place (CIP).
Conduct calculations for example, conversations, tare weight, charge weights, yield calculations.
Store tools and equipment.
Identify equipment for handover.
Apply signage and access restriction measures.
Shut down the process and equipment.
Isolate process and systems.
Complete isolation checks.
Empty equipment for example, drain, purge, vent, and de-pressure.
Purge, fill, pressurise and leak test.
Complete post maintenance equipment checks.
Line-up equipment.
Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic for chemical or petrochemical processing.
De-isolate process, mechanical and electrical systems.
Complete pre-start up checks.
Start-up plant and equipment.
Re-start process.
Record or enter information - paper based or electronic.
Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data.
Interpret drawings and graphs.
Identify issues for example, defects, deviations, process variance, and maintenance requirements.
Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
Apply problem solving and fault-finding techniques.
Apply continuous improvement techniques. Make a suggestion for improvement.
Use information and digital technology for example, management information systems, human machine interfaces, word processing, spreadsheet, email, virtual learning platforms, document sharing platforms. Comply with cyber security requirements.
Produce written documents for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
Apply team working principles.
Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development (CPD) activities.

Your training plan

Apprentices will complete a programme of both theoretical and practical learning over a three-year period.

Initially, based at Waterside Training undertaking broad based training during year 1 in Electrical and Mechanical techniques alongside Lean Manufacturing and Business Improvement techniques before moving to a programme of working on site for a global organisation with experienced production technician's tackling “real life” activities.

You will receive both vocational and academic training on and off site. To be a Manufacturing Technician you need to have a good understanding of Engineering techniques to be able to resolve problems with machinery and or production processes.

During the first year from September 2025 to July 2026 you will develop your skills and knowledge by attending Waterside Training Limited (WA9 1TW) on a block release basis to carry out foundation training in Electrical and Mechanical techniques working from 8:45am to 4:30pm

Your academic training will run over the first two years from September 2025 to July 2027 on City & Guilds Diploma in Engineering.

Additional training will also be completed during your apprenticeship to cover the requirements of the programme such as Health & Safety Training, Lean Manufacturing and or specific training as advised by the company.

From July 2026, you will commence your full site based training with AB World Foods based at Leigh spending 4 days per week with day release to continue your academic training throughout years 2 and 3. Your site based work will follow the Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician and you will continue to attend your company site for the remainder of your apprenticeship programme.

Whilst on site, dependent on the company, you may work a shift pattern involving morning, afternoon and night shifts with fixed holidays and bank holidays.

Waterside will assign you a mentor/assessor to guide you through the apprenticeship and carry out six weekly reviews along with guiding you through your standards through portfolio building, technical discussions, observations to check competency levels prior to embarking on the End Point Assessment.

You will achieve a Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician qualification over the 3 years of your apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

English (grade 4)
Maths (grade 4)
Science (grade 4)

Desirable qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

Engineering (grade 4)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Problem solving skills
Logical
Team working
Initiative
Time Management

Other requirements

This would be a three-year apprenticeship programme. This programme may contain a shift pattern in the latter stages of your apprenticeship involving morning, afternoon and evening shifts. Site Hours; will vary dependant on the company shift patterns. Waterside Training Hours; 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Year 1 will be based at Waterside, St Helens, with years 2 and 3 at AB World Foods. You will need to be able to travel to both Waterside and your site base to carry out specific off the job and on the job training.

About this company

AB World Foods are a UK producer and global distributor of ethnic foods, dealing with all the major multiples. A flavour producer we produce Indian sauces, pastes and pappadums in a modern, high speed and high volume facility utilising cutting edge technologies. AB World Foods, primarily known as Pataks, based at Leigh produce a wide range of products, primarily under the Pataks brand creating authentic sauces, pickles, chutney and pappadums delivering great branded flavours for consumers across the world; whether it's a Patak's authentic curry, a Blue Dragon stir-fry or a Levi Roots Reggae Reggae sauce.

http://www.abworldfoods.com (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

The advertised Apprentice wage will increase yearly or upon completion of progressive stages. Apprentices have fantastic future prospects within ABWF and the wider ABF group. Possibility of progressing onto a Level 4 qualification (or further) subject to agreed performance criteria. After qualifying you could go on to supervisory roles or senior management.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

ST HELENS COLLEGE

Michelle Lewis

mlewis@waterside-training.co.uk

01744616837

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000308352.

Apply now

Closes on Friday 30 May 2025

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

Apply direct through Waterside Training Ltd Website and our team will contact you to explain the next stages of the recruitment process

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