Craft Apprentice

About Us

Western Power Distribution is the power behind the network - keeping the lights on in big cities such as Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and taking power to the furthest reaches of our rural landscape, across the Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor and the Peak District.

Our electricity distribution network is one of the largest in the UK and serves 7.8 million customers across the Midlands, South Wales and the South West. The network is looked after by our 6,500-strong team of operational and support staff.

Job Introduction

You don’t have to go to university to make the most of your career potential.  If you would like to earn while you learn and want to be part of a great team - Western Power can offer you the opportunity to achieve this and embark on an exciting journey.

This is a hands on role working outdoors in all weathers. You will need to be flexible and adaptable as repairs are carried out around the clock, 365 days a year.

Our highly trained engineers are at the frontline and are vital to our work maintaining and repairing assets on the electricity network. As our industry continues to evolve and innovate, these exciting opportunities offer the chance to develop a career with a supportive and forward-thinking organisation.

Your apprenticeship begins with 12 weeks residential training at one of our dedicated Training Centres and continues when you return to your local depot with "on the job" and technical training to help you achieve the City & Guilds 2339 Levels 2 and 3 in Electrical Engineering. Depending on the career path you choose, you may have the opportunity to gain further qualifications.

Please note that we are unable to accommodate any annual leave during these first 12 weeks of training.

Along the way, you will enjoy a rewards package that includes a competitive salary and generous holiday entitlement.

Operationally we require you to live within approximately 30 minutes of the depot you are applying for.  Please only submit one application.  If you appear to be a good match for more than one location, we will consider your suitability during the process.  Multiple applications will not be considered.

Please note:

Recruitment correspondence is usually sent by email, so please do check your email account including spam/junk folders regularly after the closing date

To enhance your candidate experience, we recommend using Google Chrome to complete your online application.  Should you have any questions regarding this or require additional support to complete your application, please email recruitment@westernpower.co.uk

Main Responsibilities

Our Trades:

Underground cable engineer (Jointer).  Our jointers carry out jointing techniques up to 66kV *, including excavation, cable laying, reinstatement and fault location on LV cables

Overhead lines engineer (Linesperson).  Our linespeople carry out the construction, maintenance, replacement and repair of overhead lines up to and including 66kV *.

Substation fitting engineer (Fitter). Our fitters carry out the annual maintenance of plant and switchgear up to 66kV *. They’re also responsible for the programming and monitoring of immediate work colleagues and switching up to 66kV, among other tasks.

Weight restrictions apply to overhead and fitting trades based around Personal Fall Protective Equipment, including harnesses and other equipment such as ladders.  If in doubt please contact us. 

* Projects teams work up to voltages of 132kV

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There is 1 x Overhead Lines vacancy at the Weston-super-Mare depot.

The Ideal Candidate

To meet our minimum entry criteria you’ll need to hold (or be predicted to achieve) the following academic qualifications:

• GCSE English Language at Grade A*– C / 9 – 4
• GCSE Mathematics at Grade A*– C / 9 – 4
• GCSE Science at Grade A*– C / 9 – 4  or BTEC Science Level 2 equivalent
• Two other GCSE's in any subject at Grade A*– C / 9 – 4 or Equivalent Level 2 qualifications

Alternatively, you can apply if you have a recognised Level 3 qualification in Electrical Engineering plus GCSE Grade C/4 or above in Maths and English Language.

Beyond your qualifications, we want to see that you're genuinely interested in developing a career in engineering and are committed to further study to help you achieve your goal.

It's critical that our apprentices are safety aware with strong attention to detail and good problem solving skills.

About The Company

If this is your opportunity to join us, you’ll find we offer a supportive, rewarding and friendly working environment where you’ll be empowered to build a career. Along the way, you’ll be invested in, be enabled by the latest technology and find that we’re always interested in evolving our systems and processes so that we get even better, every day.

You will enjoy a package of benefits designed to reward your hard work and incentivise your ambition. Everyone here enjoys a competitive salary, generous annual leave allowance, company pension scheme, protective clothing where required, an Employee Assistance Programme and a managed back care programme.

Western Power Distribution is an equal opportunities employer, a Disability Level 1 Employer and a corporate signatory of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) programme. Our desire is to bring in more employees from diverse backgrounds to build further on our inclusive culture. We value and celebrate individual difference and we believe that an inclusive culture will help the business grow as a positive, strong and innovative company.