Machining Technician Apprenticeship

Level 3 Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

Beginning September 2025

At Geometric Manufacturing, we recognise that Apprentices are our future leaders.

Whatever your plans, an Apprenticeship at Geometric Manufacturing is your platform to start one step ahead. A hands-on education with real-world qualifications, surrounded by industry experts who are invested in you. This is your chance to make an impact from day one in a workplace where you’ll feel welcome – it’s a proper job with a proper salary.

Manufacturing remains one of the UK’s key industries and you've picked an excellent time to think about joining us and be part of shaping the world around us.

Why work for Geometric Manufacturing Ltd?

We are a leading provider of enclosures and mechanical components to the Defence and Security industry and we are award winning for our growth and use of innovation. We have 3 sites in the Tewkesbury area, serving a customer base across the whole of the UK. Our fabrication resources were originally established in 1980 and are now at the core of operations.

Our Apprenticeship programme has been a great success over the last 5 years and we’ve got a great track record of facilitating our Apprentices to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to make an immediate contribution from day 1. Our small intake of Apprentices each year allows us to dedicate 121 time to learning and development and personalise the experience to suit the preferences and needs of the individual.

Our Level 3 Machining Technician Apprenticeship is suited to people with passion for making things. The programme is an excellent alternative to full-time college or sixth form. You will study towards an EAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Machining (Development Knowledge) with all fees paid, whilst gaining valuable work experience in a dynamic engineering environment.

What you’ll be doing...

The course is intended to equip apprentices with a relevant range of engineering and metalwork skills related to machining. The course length is three years and during this time you will learn how to:

• Work safely at all times complying with health and safety legislation, regulations, organisational and environmental requirements
• Work effectively in teams – Integrate with the team, support other people, consider implications of your own actions on other people and the business whilst working effectively to get the task completed.
• Read and interpret engineering data and documentation, engineering drawings and technical data.
• Plan and prepare sequence for the machining activities. Ensure that the correct tooling, work holding, and materials are used
• Set up, operate, or adjust conventional machines or set up, prove and validate CNC machining equipment settings and programs for the machine tool being used.
• Machine high-quality complex components using a broad range of processes.
• Check and inspect materials to be machined to ensure that they conform to quality standards. Identify and report any issues or faults such as incorrect grades, dimensions and thicknesses.
• Complete machining documentation at all stages of the work activity and perform scheduled daily inspection, machine shut down or safe isolation
• Restore the work area and equipment to a safe and reliable condition on completion of the activity
• Focus on quality, problem solving and continuous improvement – Follow instructions and guidance, demonstrate attention to detail, follow a logical approach to problem solving and seek opportunities to improve quality, speed and efficiency.

You will also have exposure to:

• Assembly and finishing processes, tooling and equipment.

For the first 12 months, you will attend Gloucester Engineering Training (GET) daily where your learning will involve 4 practical learning days in their workshop and 1 theory learning day in the classroom. Once you have grasped the basics of engineering and metalworking, your learning and development will take place at our Tewkesbury factory whilst you work. You will be released from work to attend Gloucester Engineering Training once a week for the duration of the course.

When you join us in the workplace (September 2026) you will be hands-on from day 1. You will be responsible for the quality and accuracy of your own work, ensuring it conforms to a relevant specification such as an engineering drawing, under the supervision of a mentor who will work with you side by side to show you the way and share knowledge. This will give you a solid foundation and understanding of what and how we engineer and manufacture high quality and complex products and will give you the opportunity to develop strong relationships right across our business.

Throughout the course, you’ll have exposure to our quality, engineering and finishing teams. You’ll learn how to use our advanced tools, machinery, technology and processes to influence manufacturing processes and transform drawings from a page into something tangible that we can sell. Spending time with our quality team will teach you the competencies required to become a guardian of our quality standards; inspecting components, measuring parts and auditing our processes to ensure that our products meet the brief, every time.

What’s in it for you...

Join us, and you’ll discover that there’s more to Engineering than you ever expected. You’ll get to work with cutting-edge technology and machinery and spot a thousand ways to make your mark. You’ll get lots of development opportunities too, along with plenty of mentoring and support.

• Earn while you learn - this is a work based level 3 Apprenticeship, that combines classroom learning with work based learning. (block release for the first 6 months and day release thereafter).
• You will gain a EAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Machining (Development Knowledge) and Apprenticeship certificate over three years
• Fully funded qualification - all study costs are covered by the government
• When you join us in the workplace from September 2026, you’ll be hands on from day 1
• We will review your pay every 6 months, and subject to satisfactory attendance at work and GET, and completion of work and study goals you will receive 5% increments at these times, plus a discretionary annual bonus
• Access to NUS Apprentice Extra card - Discounts on over 170 high street retailers, and discounted travel costs.
• You will be paid on a weekly basis, helping you manage your day-to-day living costs
• 24 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays
• You’ll earn an additional days holiday per 5 years service
• Dedicated Benefits Portal, with a number of schemes including cycle to work, technology & retail savings, access to healthcare & wellbeing services, voluntary health cash plans and more!
• Salary - £16,224 - That’s £8.00 per hour / £312 per week based on a 39 hour working week

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, we hope to extend your training and there is an opportunity to apply for further qualifications.

We want to talk to people with...

• A passion for making things, using technology and machinery and owning a process from start to finish
• A love for little details and the desire to get things right
• A hunger for learning and personal growth
• Integrity - does the right thing when know one is watching
• Ideally some work experience, but this is not essential

What you’ll need to apply

• To be 16 years old or over as of 1 September 2025
• 5 GCSE’s at grade C/4 or above including Maths and English
• Able to travel to Gloucester Engineering Training (GL4 3HX) and our factory (GL20 8ND) Mondays - Thursdays 08:00 - 16:30 and Fridays 08:00 - 13:00
• Be a UK/EU/EAA resident for at least three years prior to starting the course
• You should not hold an existing qualification at the same or higher level in a similar subject (e.g. a degree in a similar subject)
• An interest for, and basic knowledge of fabrication and manufacturing engineering

The Process

Our application process closes Sunday 16th March 2025 – however, this role could be closed sooner, subject to high application numbers. Therefore, you are advised to apply as soon as possible, to avoid missing out on this excellent opportunity!

Step one - if you meet our selection criteria, we’ll send you some questions to complete, to understand more about your interests and motivations.

Step two - if we like your answers, we’ll arrange a Facetime or Whatsapp video call with you to discuss your answers and application in more detail.

Step three - all going well, we will invite you to attend our Apprentice recruitment day in March 2025. This is a great opportunity for you to ask us and our existing apprentices about the programme and life at Geometric Manufacturing, and ultimately check we’re a good fit for you.

Hiring - We will make provisional offers of employment in March 2025, with a scheduled start date of September 2025.

Keeping in touch - We know that you’ll be letting your hair down over the summer and so you may not hear from us too much but we’ll be in touch after results day to finalise the details of your onboarding and share your induction plan with you.

You can find out more about our current Apprentices and life at Geometric Manufacturing at:

Facebook - Geometric Manufacturing Ltd / Instagram – @geometricmfacturing

You can view more about the qualification at: https://get-trained.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/PRODUCT-INFORMATION-SHEET-Machining-Technician-ST1305.pdf

*Offers of employment will be subject to a relevant level of company security vetting, which may include a criminal record check*

Job Type: Apprenticeship

Pay: £8.00 per hour

Expected hours: 39 per week

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

• Do you have 5 GCSE’s at grade C/4 or above including Maths and English? (Include predicted grades here)

Education:

• GCSE or equivalent (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 16/03/2025
Expected start date: 01/09/2025