United Kingdom

Shrewsbury Apprenticeships

Caterpillar Shrewsbury aims to take on apprentices to join our four-year program which offers a blend of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience. You will gain valuable experience in real work environments giving you a head start in your career and allowing you to build on your capabilities. You will also gain an Advanced qualification which is transferable and recognized within the industry.

Based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, our facility has over 100 years of manufacturing experience and now specializes in a wide variety of military, rail and Cat machine engines, transmissions and drive line systems.

We work with learning providers who have modern facilities, who understand our business and tailor your learning to help you be successful at work. Our four-year apprenticeship program includes:

  • 15 months full-time at college to achieve a Level 2 qualification, which will include additional units specific to our business. This incorporates a number of weeks where you will be in-company full-time with planned on-the-job training.
    • This provides an excellent foundation of basic skills and theory for a career in manufacturing and engineering.
    • You will engage with leadership whilst at college and spend time working on site, to ensure your familiarity with the business and facility as well as begin to foster a relationship with our team.
  • 2 years’ day release (1 day per week) to complete BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma
    • Three days per week in work with 1 day per week day release. Work-based learning with on-the-job training allows you to learn from our skilled workforce whilst bringing new and innovative practices to our business. This phase includes a structured rotation plan where you will gain experience in a number of operational areas of the business.

Our current apprentices regularly represent our business at various Future Talent events whilst also participating in other internal projects and external opportunities to build their abilities, such as the World Skills competition and the Army Reservists Challenge.

Our Apprenticeships

Our apprenticeship offerings are aimed at developing the specialist engineering skills needed for our business. Therefore, the specific roles can vary year on year. This provides you with the choice and the options to develop your desired career. Disciplines may include:

  • Engine Assembly, Transmissions Assembly, Engine Test
  • Machining
  • Fabrication and Welding
  • Maintenance, Environmental Management
  • Quality Management, Component Inspection
  • Technical Engineering – Design, Development, Project Management

Note: the structure of our schemes, which include qualifications, delivery models, schedules, and content will differ dependent on discipline, course and college partners and business requirement

 

Benefits of employment with caterpillar

We offer a range of benefits and your salary will increase as you achieve your academic milestones and gain experience. You will find the salary in the relevant vacancy details when you apply.

When working at our facility, you will work a 37-hour week, Monday to Thursday. (If you are under 18, your daily hours of work may be reduced to comply with Working Time Regulations.)

 

What are the entry requirements?

We are looking for people who have a real interest in engineering and willingness to learn. The academic requirements for entry onto the course of study are:

  • You must be 16 or over with the relevant qualifications (or equivalent).
    • All of our apprenticeship schemes require you to have attained three GCSE grades (or predicted grades) of A*–C/4–9, including Math, Science and English (or equivalent). For Machining and Technical Engineering, you are required to have attained five GCSEs at the above grades. You must be able to evidence these qualifications.
  • If you don’t have the required number or grade of GCSEs, don’t worry. Our college partner/learning provider may invite to undertake an assessment, but you must achieve L2 functional skills in Math and English.
  • If you have completed any prior training or a previous apprenticeship similar or the same as the vacancy you are applying for, please contact include the details of your existing qualification with your application so we can assess the options for you.

 

How to apply

Recruitment usually takes place during February and March, with apprentices starting in September. During March, we may hold an open evening on our site. If you would like to find out the date of the open day for an active vacancy, please email HRShrewsbury@cat.com.

We advertise all our opportunities on the National Apprenticeships Service website. Click on the link below and search for Caterpillar Shrewsbury for details on active opportunities and to submit your application to apply.

www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Outside of the February/March period, you can sign up to our expression of interest where we will keep you up to date with our future offerings as they become available. To register your interest, click here: https://www.caterpillarsurveys.com/se/4F5AA3C828E8BC24

 

I’ve applied. What happens next?

The specific timelines for our apprenticeship offerings can be found in the relevant vacancy and the process takes around six weeks after the closing date.

You will be asked to participate in a number of selection stages, which you must complete before progressing to the next stage. These will include initial assessment, telephone interview, online aptitude tests and an assessment center.

 

I have a question or would like to provide feedback.

Please email us at HRShrewsbury@cat.com.

We are more than happy redirect your question to the relevant person and we value all feedback as it allows us to continuously improve our processes.