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Apprentice Marine Engineer
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About the Role
This apprenticeship is designed to develop the next generation of marine engineers. Over approximately five years, you'll gain the knowledge, practical skills, and sea-going experience needed to gain your Certificate of Competency (CoC) to become a Marine Engineer.
Wage
- Competitive wage offered
- Minimum wage rates opens in new tab
Hours
- 2 weeks on and 1 week off. Shift work and through the night. Due to rotation, hours of work are condensed, but weekly average should never be more than 48 hours.
- 45 hours a week
Start date
- Monday 19 October 2026
Duration
- 4 years
Positions available
- 6
What you'll do at work
- Learning day to day operations of engineering aspects of the vessel at sea and alongside (not at sea)
- Learning about vessels engines, thrusters, and auxiliary equipment
- Bunkering
- Fault finding and diagnosis or issue on board the vessel
- Conducting basic repairs (Potential to go to dry dock for full overhaul)
- Record keeping
- Stakeholder management i.e., Contractors etc.
- Preparing for surveys and audits
- Plus a lot more, this list is non-exhaustive
Where you'll work
- Ideally, candidates should live within one hour of one of our UK port operations (Southampton, Felixstowe, Gravesend)
- They should have flexibility to train in any of our UK port operations as required.
- Be willing to work a 2-weeks-on, 1-week-off rotation, including time away from home
- Be able to commit to the full academic content of the programme including periods of study and stay at Fleetwood Nautical College Campus
Training provider
- BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE
Training course
- Small vessel chief engineer (level 4)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Take personal emergency action onboard a vessel. [MCA]
- Respond to emergencies onboard a vessel. [MCA]
- Take control of survival craft and rescue boats. [MCA]
- Take charge of an engine room watch. [MCA]
- Prepare and operate vessel propulsion machinery and ancillary systems. [MCA]
- Operate vessel ancillaries and service machinery. [MCA]
- Operate and adjust vessel electrical systems. [MCA]
- Carry out maintenance to vessel electrical machinery and systems. [MCA]
- Carry out maintenance to vessel mechanical machinery and systems. [MCA]
- Maintain personal health, safety and environmental standards onboard a vessel. [MCA]
- Maintain safe, legal and effective working practices onboard a vessel. [MCA]
- Maintain and enhance productive working relationships onboard a vessel. [MCA]
- Identify costs and create a draft budget for sign-off.
- Apply project management techniques.
- Identify, organise, and use resources to complete tasks.
- Diagnose problems. Resolve or escalate problems in line with responsibilities.
- Review work to identify improvements.
- Communicate verbally and in writing with others for example, colleagues and contractors onboard or ashore.
- Complete documentation for example, machinery space logbook and oil record book.
- Write technical reports.
- Use information technology for example, word processing, spreadsheets, email, and presentation.
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Training schedule
Sea phase
- Work 2 weeks on and 1 week off (You may not live aboard the vessel depending upon the local operation and may have to travel to/from for work/job)
- You will be required to complete a Training Records Book and create an evidence workbook
College Phase
- You will train at our nominated provider Fleetwood Nautical School and be required to live on campus during these phases:
- You will complete all STCW Basic and Advanced Safety Training courses during these phases
- You will also complete a level 3 and level 4 qualification in Marine Engineering
- You will complete Workshop Skills course
Essential qualifications
- GCSE in:
- English (grade 5)
- Maths (grade 6)
- Science (Preferrably Physics) (grade 6)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
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Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
Other requirements
- All offers of apprenticeship will be subject to obtaining and valid ENG1 (Seafarer Medical). This is required to sail on any UK Flag merchant navy vessel. Failure to obtain and present a valid document means that you will not be able to proceed.
About Svitzer
Svitzer has provided safety and support at sea since 1833. We are a world-leading towage company, which means we help our customers maneuver their larger ships safely and timely in and out of port and we do our best in keeping the world supply of goods flowing. Whether working on our vessels or on the land, we are all a part of the Svitzer family and proud of the role we play in keeping global supply chains running smoothly.
Our tugboats may be small, but they're among the most powerful (for their size!) and technically advanced vessels on the water. Operating in major ports across the UK and around the world, our engineers work with sophisticated propulsion systems, high-performance machinery, and innovative marine technology to safely move some of the world's largest ships.
With over 4,000 employees and a fleet of 450+ vessels worldwide, Svitzer offers career opportunities that few companies can match.
https://svitzer.com/ opens in new tab
Your earnings
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay opens in new tab.
If performance standards are met, individuals will hopefully achieve Chief Engineer <9000kW <3000gt CoC.
Contact
The contact for this apprenticeship is: BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE
Reference code
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000044768.
Closing date
Closes in 14 days (Monday 10 August 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.
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