Toolmakers and Tool and Die Maintenance Technicians are predominantly involved in the highly skilled, complex and specialist detailed work of manufacturing and maintaining the engineering tooling used to produce components, products and assemblies. Their work can be used in cars, planes, boats and rail, energy, defence, food, clothing, packaging and health including medical equipment, devices and implants such as joint replacements.
This requires the application of a broad range of activities including the interpretation of engineering drawings and technical instructions and the use of hand, machine and automated computer controlled machine tools and measuring equipment.
You will be expected to test and adjust the systems, ensuring tooling, jigs, fixtures and assemblies meet the required specification.
This requires the application of skills, knowledge and occupational behaviours across a range of engineering disciplines.
Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their apprenticeships. In order to optimise success, candidates will typically have four GCSEs at grade C or equivalent, including Mathematics, English (grade 4 or above) and a Science. Employers who recruit candidates without English or Maths at grade C or above must ensure that the candidate achieves this standard prior to the completion of the apprenticeship.
After a period of foundation skills and technical knowledge development, all apprentices will be required to achieve the following qualifications:
After a further period of skills and technical knowledge development, all apprentices will be required to achieve the following qualifications:
Academic and practical learning will include:
You will cover the following units:
There will be two phases of training to ensure that apprentices meet this apprenticeship standard, in line with specified employer requirements.
The foundation phase will involve intensive off-the-job training focused on developing the apprentice's core skills, knowledge and behaviour, allowing them to work effectively with supervision in a largely simulated working environment. This stage will typically require 1,400 Vocational Guided Learning Hours, building up from the basics to more complex engineering operations and practices. The tasks will be aligned to the job role to develop a range of tailored core engineering techniques. By the end of this phase, the apprentice will therefore be able to demonstrate, under independent test conditions, that they can deploy the relevant skills and occupational behaviours.
There will be an employer endorsement as part of the final assessment of this phase to ensure that the apprentice has demonstrated full competence against the knowledge, skills and behaviours in this apprenticeship standard. The employer will sign off that the apprentice is ‘job ready’ as a competent technician.
Apprentices will be expected to comply with their company's standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) dress code. Any shortfalls in safety equipment will be addressed during the first week of the course.
Completion of this apprenticeship standard will be recognised by the relevant professional institutions as the evidence required for Engineering Technician (EngTech) registration through a professional review.
For those deemed capable and ready, there is the chance to progress to higher levels of education and training.
At the age of 16, Grace Draper decided to apply for an apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce rather than go on to do A-levels. She’s not looked back since.
She has excelled while gaining on-the-job experience with the company and during her training at Derby College, where she has achieved Distinction standards. Now she is set to take her qualifications further with a foundation degree at the College, sponsored by Rolls-Royce.
Such has been Grace’s success that she was highly commended in the Manufacturing and Engineering Apprenticeship category of our 2014 Peak Awards. Judges described her as a ‘model learner’ and praised her collaborative work on projects, where she demonstrated the team skills and personal attributes which are vital in today’s engineering industry.
An apprenticeship at Rolls- Royce is the best of both worlds. We get to work in all sorts of areas of the company, earning while we’re learning. Having completed my first two years of the apprenticeship, I’m looking forward to starting the foundation degree.