Pilot Plant - Food & Drink Maintenance Engineering Apprenticeship (Unilever, Sharnbrook)

Unilevers R&D advanced apprenticeship at the Colworth site is a four-year programme based at the pilot plant in Sharnbrook. Apprentices work with R&D Refreshment teams supporting the manufacture of tea-based drinks and ice cream products at pilot-plant scale while following a structured part-time academic programme to achieve a Level 3 Diploma in Food & Drink Maintenance.

Apprentices choose specialisations such as mechanical maintenance (fabrication, machining and repair of precision equipment) or multi-skilled maintenance (electrical testing, instrumentation, data acquisition, process control systems, PLCs and servo-drives). Day-to-day duties include preparing and operating pilot-plant equipment, supporting rapid prototyping and precision engineering, and contributing to projects that develop new consumer products.

The scheme is aimed at post-GCSE candidates and school leavers. Applicants must hold at least six GCSEs including Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and English, be prepared to study while working, and demonstrate commitment, teamwork and communication skills.

Application stages are: online application, digital interview, face-to-face interview and job offer. For further enquiries call 0800 0284390 (candidates only).