Apprentice Control Systems Engineer

Summary

We are offering a 48-month level 4 Apprenticeship in Automation & Controls. As an Actemium Apprentice, we will help you learn to use specialist software to design industrial control systems. You will be learning and gaining levels of engineering skill and knowledge that will eventually see you performing as a key part of a project engineering team.

Wage

£22,500 a year

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Training course

Automation and controls engineering technician (level 4)

Hours

Your working week will be Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm. Your will attend the Actemium Automation Office in Waterlooville 4 days per week, and college 1 day per week during term time. Outside of term time all 5 days will be spent in the office.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

4 years

Positions available

2

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 an apprentice, you will work at a company and get hands-on experience. You will gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

You will build your skills over a 48-month period, starting in September 2025. This will include:

Classroom training and workshops hosted offsite
Learning current software standards, methods, and practices
Learning to understand project delivery timelines and budgets
Learning to develop key areas of control system software to meet the needs of the project using PLC’s, SCADA Systems, HMI’s & Industrial Networking
Learning to design and test in accordance with agreed specifications and applicable standards
Learning to prepare and review control system design, build and testing specifications
Learn onsite commissioning and testing of control systems while adhering to site regulations

Where you’ll work

Wellington Gate
Silverthorne Way
Waterlooville
PO7 7XY

Training

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

College or training organisation

SOUTH HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE GROUP

Your training course

Automation and controls engineering technician (level 4)

Equal to higher national certificate (HNC)

Course contents

Safety Effective - The ability to work safely in an industrial environment and where required, produce risk assessment and method statement documentation. Be able to apply the principles of functional machinery or process safety including SIL (Safety Integrated Level) and PL (Performance Level) terminology.
Engineering documentation - Production and interpretation of a range of technical documentation (device manuals, operating procedures, schematics, fault reports etc), and working with company documentation systems.
Project engineering capabilities - Support of installation, commissioning, shut-down, start-up and maintenance, service, or support of a wide range of systems and devices.
Diagnostic capabilities - Fault finding, diagnosis, rectification and reporting of automation control systems and controls applications via the utilisation of formal problem solving methods and diagnostic tools or software.
Instrumentation configuration and calibration - Set-up, calibrate and commission a wide variety of field level instrumentation that interfaces to automation and control systems
Industrial Networks configuration and support - configure, assist commissioning and continued support of industrial network solutions at all hierarchical levels of control system integration using the requisite tools and or software.
HMI and SCADA configuration and programming - Make changes to existing systems or implement new configurations.
PLC or Robot configuration and programming - Implement complex PLC or Robot program content and configurations to affect changes to increase availability and or efficiency of automation controlled machinery and the ability to configure PLC and or Robot hardware and program a wide variety of PLC’s and or Robot’s.
Safety Effective - The ability to work safely in an industrial environment and where required, produce risk assessment and method statement documentation. Be able to apply the principles of functional machinery or process safety including SIL (Safety Integrated Level) and PL (Performance Level) terminology.
Engineering documentation - Production and interpretation of a range of technical documentation (device manuals, operating procedures, schematics, fault reports etc), and working with company documentation systems.
Project engineering capabilities - Support of installation, commissioning, shut-down, start-up and maintenance, service, or support of a wide range of systems and devices.
Diagnostic capabilities - Fault finding, diagnosis, rectification and reporting of automation control systems and controls applications via the utilisation of formal problem solving methods and diagnostic tools or software.
Instrumentation configuration and calibration - Set-up, calibrate and commission a wide variety of field level instrumentation that interfaces to automation and control systems
Industrial Networks configuration and support - configure, assist commissioning and continued support of industrial network solutions at all hierarchical levels of control system integration using the requisite tools and or software.
HMI and SCADA configuration and programming - Make changes to existing systems or implement new configurations.
PLC or Robot configuration and programming - Implement complex PLC or Robot program content and configurations to affect changes to increase availability and or efficiency of automation controlled machinery and the ability to configure PLC and or Robot hardware and program a wide variety of PLC’s and or Robot’s.

Your training plan

Automation and Controls Engineering Technician Level 4.

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

More training information

HND support in years 3 & 4 of the apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

Five GCSEs (including Maths, English & Science) (grade 5-9)

BTEC in:

Engineering relate subject (grade Pass)

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
Number skills
Logical
Team working
Awareness of Health & Safety

Other requirements

Applicants must be able to get to and from our office based in Waterlooville, and the South Hampshire Collage Group's CEMAST campus. We will be holding an Apprentice selection day on the 8th of May 2025, therefore you will need to be able to attend the Waterlooville office on this date if you are selected for interview.

About this company

Actemium Automation Hampshire are an Engineering Projects business unit that predominantly deliver multi-discipline solutions in Manufacturing/Water/Fuel Storage and Distribution sectors, in Southern England. Actemium Automation is part of the VINCI Energies group. Being part of this £14 billion organisation allows us to provide our customers with the resources, vitality, and strength of a large, global company, while still delivering local, personalised service. Along with the other business units in the Actemium Automation family, we employ 250+ people at 11 locations across the UK.

https://www.actemium.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Employee benefits including - 25 days Annual Leave plus bank holidays. Group Pension Plan, contributions matched up to 7%. Private medical insurance. IET Student Membership. Discretionary annual bonus based on Company and Individual performance.

After this apprenticeship

At the end of the apprenticeship, you could be offered a permanent position with Actemium Automation, which would include further prospects for continued development. We want you to realise your potential practically and academically, and our Apprenticeship program offers a career development path for the right candidates. We expect this will include supported further academic development with the opportunity to progress to a Degree Apprenticeship.

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