About the Role

This apprenticeship offers a structured pathway into process operations within a specialised chemical manufacturing environment, combining full-time off-the-job training at CATCH with hands-on experience at our Denaby Main site. You will develop technical, safety, and quality skills across a broad range of manufacturing activities.

The successful apprentice will learn to manufacture a range of water-based polymers, operating chemical reactors and associated equipment. Building on classroom learning in health, safety, environmental compliance, chemistry, and quality systems, they will develop practical skills across multiple reactor processes, maintenance activities, and stock management.

Key Responsibilities

• Under initial close shadowing of an experienced operator, you will learn the processes for preparing, charging, reacting, and monitoring polymerisation reactors
• Packing finished product and cleaning processes
• Learn how to handle various chemicals and the unique hazards associated with each of them
• Assist with tanker loading and offloading
• Learn and participate in the company processes such as batch recording, OEE recording, stock control, quality control, and waste management

Course Contents

• Review instructions or information to understand the task. Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
• Identify hazards and risks in the workplace and personal safety and mitigation measures.
• Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance.
• Follow environment emergency procedures. For example, make area safe, evacuate.
• Apply sustainability principles, for example, minimising waste.
• Apply standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Check equipment.
• Select, check, and prepare raw materials for process, for example, weighing, measuring, control and blending, conditioning, dissolving, and sanitisation.
• Set and adjust processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed or time, distance.
• Monitor process, for example, take readings and conduct walk-arounds.
• Conduct the control of product streams to maintain specifics.
• Apply quality assurance procedures. For example, density checks, contaminant check, and take samples for laboratory testing.
• Apply intermediate or post-manufacturing procedure, for example, labelling, packing, storage, visual inspection, discharge.
• Manage waste streams.
• Clean equipment, for example, boil-outs, steam-outs, bake-outs, steam in place SIP, clean in place (CIP).
• Conduct calculations, for example, conversations, tare weight, charge weights, yield calculations.
• Store tools and equipment.
• Identify equipment for handover.
• Apply signage and access restriction measures.
• Shut down the process and equipment.
• Isolate process and systems.
• Complete isolation checks.
• Empty equipment, for example, drain, purge, vent, and de-pressure.
• Purge, fill, pressurise, and leak test.
• Complete post-maintenance equipment checks.
• Line-up equipment.
• Connect service connections such as water, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic for chemical or petrochemical processing.
• De-isolate process, mechanical, and electrical systems.
• Complete pre-start up checks.
• Start-up plant and equipment.
• Re-start process.
• Record or enter information - paper-based or electronic.
• Interpret data, for example, process data, quality control, and test procedure data.
• Interpret drawings and graphs.
• Identify issues, for example, defects, deviations, process variance, and maintenance requirements.
• Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
• Apply problem-solving and fault-finding techniques.
• Apply continuous improvement techniques.
• Make a suggestion for improvement.
• Use information and digital technology, for example, management information systems, human machine interfaces, word processing, spreadsheet, email, virtual learning platforms, document sharing platforms.
• Comply with cyber security requirements.
• Produce written documents, for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
• Communicate with others verbally, for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
• Apply team working principles.
• Plan how to meet personal development needs.
• Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development (CPD) activities.