Caretaker Apprentice

Summary

Our caretaker apprentice will work within the maintenance team to support the maintenance and repair of the school. The Apprentice will work on fault finding, maintaining and upgrading fittings and fixtures, and supporting breakdown investigations and repairs.

Wage

£25,319 a year

Training course

Property maintenance operative (level 2)

Hours

Working Monday to Friday and hours to be within 06:30 to 19:30.   Standard hours to be agreed but flexibility required to vary start and finish times and occasionally work later into the evening to support school events.

36 hours a week

Start date

Monday 14 September 2026

Duration

2 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Key responsibilities in the role of Caretaker include:

• Participate in and ensure that the site is kept clean and tidy in
  order to minimise risks to the health and safety of those using
  the school site, and to ensure the activities of the school can
  take place in an environment suited to learning
• Contribute to maintaining the site in a good state of repair and
  maintaining heating and lighting, to minimise risks to the health
  and safety of those using the school site and to ensure that the
  activities of the school take place in an environment suited to
  learning
• Where required and/or trained to undertake emergency and first
  line repairs e.g. electrical work, plumbing and heating, painting
  and decorating, carpentry and joining, glazing etc
• Liaise with the Lead Caretaker in the preparation of long and
  short term maintenance programmes
• Secure all school buildings and set alarm systems when school is
  not in use to protect the building and its contents, and provide
  safe access to buildings and classrooms in the event of snow,
  minor floods and similar emergency situations, initiating
  emergency services procedures when needed
• Responsible for holding keys to the school premises, lock and
  unlock at appropriate times, prevent trespass and the parking of
  unauthorised vehicles within the premises
• Have responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of a
  designated area of the school. Manage any health & safety
  issues or general repairs required. Once expenditure is
  authorised make arrangements with contractors as necessary.
  Refer to the Lead Caretaker or Estates Manager if necessary
• Establish and maintain monitoring procedures to ensure that the
  school site is kept in a good state of repair, clean, safe and
  stocked with all necessary cleaning and maintenance supplies.
  Take responsibility for raising any issues initially with the Lead
  Caretaker, the staff concerned or with the contractor as
  appropriate to achieve improved performance
• Contribute to the Trusts objectives of contribute towards the
  Trusts objectives of ensuring the safety and security of all school
  users and visitors and achieving greater value for money in the
  maintenance of the buildings and site through, for example, the
  management and monitoring of utility services and advising on
  increased efficiency of the service inspections/fault finding

Where you'll work

Esher Learning Trust More Lane
Esher
Surrey
KT10 8AP

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

M I T SKILLS LIMITED

Training course

Property maintenance operative (level 2)

What you'll learn

• Plan the sequence of work required to carry out routine property maintenance operations.
• Identify and select the appropriate materials and components for property maintenance tasks, ensuring these are compliant with relevant regulatory requirements and manufacturer's specifications.
• Comply with statutory health and safety regulations and requirements.
• Comply with risk assessments, and organise the workplace, to safeguard themselves and the property.
• Comply with key regulatory and legislative requirements, including building regulations.
• Uses safe working practices when carrying out property maintenance tasks including the use of PPE, signage, barriers, access equipment and ensuring work area is prepared and reinstated.
• Select, and use work tools and equipment for property maintenance tasks, applying all safeguards, and ensuring the correct functioning of equipment.
• Safely isolate and secure electrical or electronic supplies prior to performing property maintenance operations.
• Apply and implement routine emergency system checks, testing and routine maintenance, identifying and reporting faults as required.
• Perform maintenance and repairs to plumbing systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components and clearing blockages.
• Perform maintenance and repairs to external drainage systems, including clearing blockages and replacing components.
• Perform maintenance and repairs to environmental and energy management systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components.
• Use carpentry and joinery skills to perform repairs to windows, doors and glazing units, and their associated fittings.
• Perform repairs to plastered surfaces, including surface preparation, fixing and mixing materials and compounds.
• Use painting and decorating skills to prepare surfaces for decoration, apply paint using brushes and rollers, and complete sealing activities using gun appliances.
• Perform tiling repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
• Perform flooring repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
• Perform planned, responsive or temporary repairs to buildings or their immediate surroundings, attending to minor defects within either masonry, roofing, fencing or railing, groundwork or landscaping.
• Select and use technical literature and other sources of information and data to address property maintenance problems.
• Record and report information, using digital and written techniques.
• Inspect own work, ensuring it is delivered to the given specifications.
• Comply with environmental regulations and procedures. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
• Use and adapt communication methods for different situations and when, working with colleagues and stakeholders, using industry terminology as appropriate.
• Provide customer feedback whilst maintaining customer service.
• Escalates issues beyond their level of competence and authority.
• Plan the sequence of work required to carry out routine property maintenance operations.
• Identify and select the appropriate materials and components for property maintenance tasks, ensuring these are compliant with relevant regulatory requirements and manufacturer's specifications.
• Comply with statutory health and safety regulations and requirements.
• Comply with risk assessments, and organise the workplace, to safeguard themselves and the property.
• Comply with key regulatory and legislative requirements, including building regulations.
• Uses safe working practices when carrying out property maintenance tasks including the use of PPE, signage, barriers, access equipment and ensuring work area is prepared and reinstated.
• Select, and use work tools and equipment for property maintenance tasks, applying all safeguards, and ensuring the correct functioning of equipment.
• Safely isolate and secure electrical or electronic supplies prior to performing property maintenance operations.
• Apply and implement routine emergency system checks, testing and routine maintenance, identifying and reporting faults as required.
• Perform maintenance and repairs to plumbing systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components and clearing blockages.
• Perform maintenance and repairs to external drainage systems, including clearing blockages and replacing components.
• Perform maintenance and repairs to environmental and energy management systems, including fault identification, safe isolation of supply, replacing components.
• Use carpentry and joinery skills to perform repairs to windows, doors and glazing units, and their associated fittings.
• Perform repairs to plastered surfaces, including surface preparation, fixing and mixing materials and compounds.
• Use painting and decorating skills to prepare surfaces for decoration, apply paint using brushes and rollers, and complete sealing activities using gun appliances.
• Perform tiling repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
• Perform flooring repairs, including setting out, surface preparation and cutting around obstacles.
• Perform planned, responsive or temporary repairs to buildings or their immediate surroundings, attending to minor defects within either masonry, roofing, fencing or railing, groundwork or landscaping.
• Select and use technical literature and other sources of information and data to address property maintenance problems.
• Record and report information, using digital and written techniques.
• Inspect own work, ensuring it is delivered to the given specifications.
• Comply with environmental regulations and procedures. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
• Use and adapt communication methods for different situations and when, working with colleagues and stakeholders, using industry terminology as appropriate.
• Provide customer feedback whilst maintaining customer service.
• Escalates issues beyond their level of competence and authority.

Training schedule

The training will be in the workplace and one day a week at MITSkills Brentford/Syon Lane training centre

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade 2)
• Mathematics (grade 2)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Problem solving skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative