Apprentice Welder

Summary

A fantastic opportunity to learn skills within a growing market. You'll learn to weld precision components for the semiconductor industry, with parts increasing in complexity as your abilities develop. Working with Stainless Steel and Aluminium, and other metals. Potential involvement in sand blasting, fettling, cleaning & assembly.

Wage

£16,640 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

£8/hr apprentice wage

Training course

Welder (level 2)

Hours

Flexible hours available. Monday to Thursday - 8.5h/day. Friday - 6 hours. Start time between 6.00am and 8.00am, to suit candidate.

40 hours a week

Start date

Monday 7 September 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

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

This will be a varied role, learning many different skills such as:

• Welding, including preparation of joints, setting up equipment, learning a variety of weld types
• Interpreting and understanding Engineering Drawings
• Helium leak testing
• Using hand tools such as Angle Grinders, Grinding Wheels & Pillar Drills
• Sand Blasting
• Ultrasonic Cleaning

Where you'll work

Unit 32
Atcham Business Park, Atcham
Shrewsbury
SY4 4UG

Training

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

Training provider

SHREWSBURY COLLEGE

Training course

Welder (level 2)

What you'll learn

• Apply health and safety procedures including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Collect and use information - text and data. For example, manufacturer's instructions, manuals, job instructions, drawings and quality control documentation.
• Prepare welding materials and work area: sourcing, checking and protecting.
• Prepare welding machines or equipment and safety protection measures, for example, check calibration and maintenance dates, inspection for cable damage.
• Check and use or operate tools and equipment.
• Set, modify and monitor welding controls, for example, current, arc voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow rates, polarity, mechanised tractor units.
• Identify issues and actions required. Escalate issues or concerns.
• Use manual processes and equipment to remove material before and after welding.
• Weld using processes, for example, tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), manual metal arc (MMA), metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), tractor-mounted metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), tractor-mounted flux cored arc welding (FCAW), tractor-mounted or orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG), tractor-mounted or orbital plasma arc welding (PAW).
• Adapt welding technique to weld different material groups, for example, carbon steel, low alloy steel (3-7% alloy content), high alloy ferritic or martensitic steel (>7% alloy content), austenitic stainless steel, duplex stainless steels, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys.
• Weld materials in different joint configurations, for example, butt, T-butt, fillet, cladding or buttering.
• Adapt welding techniques to weld materials in different positions, for example, down-hand, horizontal-vertical, horizontal, vertical-up, vertical-down, overhead, inclined.
• Identify surface defects.
• Apply visual inspection, dimensional and alignment checks.
• Restore the work area on completion of the welding activity, for example, clean equipment and machinery, tidy the work area, return excess resources and consumables.
• Communicate verbally with others, for example, internal and external customers, colleagues, supervisors and managers.
• Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards and guidance. Segregate resources for re-use, recycling and disposal.
• Follow equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
• Follow work instructions - verbal or written.
• Apply team working principles.
• Apply health and safety procedures including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Collect and use information - text and data. For example, manufacturer's instructions, manuals, job instructions, drawings and quality control documentation.
• Prepare welding materials and work area: sourcing, checking and protecting.
• Prepare welding machines or equipment and safety protection measures, for example, check calibration and maintenance dates, inspection for cable damage.
• Check and use or operate tools and equipment.
• Set, modify and monitor welding controls, for example, current, arc voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow rates, polarity, mechanised tractor units.
• Identify issues and actions required. Escalate issues or concerns.
• Use manual processes and equipment to remove material before and after welding.
• Weld using processes, for example, tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), manual metal arc (MMA), metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), tractor-mounted metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), tractor-mounted flux cored arc welding (FCAW), tractor-mounted or orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG), tractor-mounted or orbital plasma arc welding (PAW).
• Adapt welding technique to weld different material groups, for example, carbon steel, low alloy steel (3-7% alloy content), high alloy ferritic or martensitic steel (>7% alloy content), austenitic stainless steel, duplex stainless steels, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys.
• Weld materials in different joint configurations, for example, butt, T-butt, fillet, cladding or buttering.
• Adapt welding techniques to weld materials in different positions, for example, down-hand, horizontal-vertical, horizontal, vertical-up, vertical-down, overhead, inclined.
• Identify surface defects.
• Apply visual inspection, dimensional and alignment checks.
• Restore the work area on completion of the welding activity, for example, clean equipment and machinery, tidy the work area, return excess resources and consumables.
• Communicate verbally with others, for example, internal and external customers, colleagues, supervisors and managers.
• Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards and guidance. Segregate resources for re-use, recycling and disposal.
• Follow equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
• Follow work instructions - verbal or written.
• Apply team working principles.

Training schedule

This Apprenticeship is taught at Shrewsbury College London Road campus on a day release basis one day per week, with the remainder of the working week in the workplace with the employer.  

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

English and Maths (grade 4 (C) or above)

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
• Problem solving skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative
• Non judgemental
• Patience
• Site Safety Awareness