Engineering Maintenance Technician

Engineering maintenance technicians maintain, repair and sometimes install machinery used in the areas of manufacturing, processing and transportation. This includes machinery used on production lines in factories and laboratory equipment in hospitals or pharmaceutical production units. It also includes machinery and equipment used in the rail and road transport industries, civil or military aircraft, and power generation equipment. Technicians carry out regular planned preventative maintenance according to schedules. They may also undertake emergency maintenance when unexpected breakdowns occur.

Most maintenance technicians work between 37 and 39 hours a week. Exact working hours vary and may involve rota systems, shift work or routine maintenance in the evenings, at nights or at weekends. Working environments vary widely from work in a laboratory or on a factory floor to construction sites or an office.

Salaries range from around £20,000 a year to over £40,000.

Engineering maintenance technicians should:

• be good with their hands
• have good problem-solving skills
• have good communication skills so they can explain problems to people with varying levels of technical knowledge
• have ICT skills, since computer diagnostics are used in many operations
• have normal colour vision.

There is a steady demand for experienced engineering maintenance technicians throughout the UK. Employers range from multinational organisations to small, private companies. The manufacturing, process, transport, energy and construction industries, as well as the armed forces, all provide opportunities for maintenance technicians.

The majority of candidates enter this career through Advanced Apprenticeships. Training usually combines on-the-job training with day or block release to study at a local college or registered training centre. Some technician apprentices first study full time at college for Level 3 qualifications, such as A levels in maths or science, a BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in operations and maintenance engineering or a City & Guilds (C&G) Certificate in engineering (2800). The Diplomas in engineering and manufacturing and product design may be relevant for this area of work.

Technicians are encouraged to apply for engineering technician registration with the Engineering Council UK and, if successful, gain the letters EngTech after their name.

Engineering maintenance technicians who qualify for professional status (EngTech) may have a wider choice of career development options, including further study towards incorporated and chartered status.

Further details