Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship Instructor / Mentor

About the role

Instructor Mentors play a pivotal role in the apprenticeship journey. They are at the front line, delivering sessions, assessing, and carrying out reviews to ensure apprentices develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviours needed to thrive. In this role, you will deliver high-quality teaching and learning in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, with a particular focus on advanced manufacturing techniques, precision machining, quality control, and continuous improvement.

Working with HNC / HND-level apprentices, you will design and deliver engaging, industry-relevant training that prepares learners for both their job role and successful End-Point Assessment. You will make full use of the state-of-the-art facilities at the Nuclear Skills Academy, collaborating with employers and colleagues to provide a seamless and impactful apprenticeship experience.

Interview Date : 24th September 2025 (On-Site)

About You

You’ll be at the front line, delivering sessions, assessing, and carrying out reviews. You’ll have an eye for academic excellence, hands-on industry experience, and engaging teaching practice, whilst being a team player who contributes to the onward journey at the Nuclear Skills Academy. The apprentice will be at the centre of your efforts, ensuring that you are embedding values and behaviours with them from day one, utilising the space and resources available to best effect.

You will value interdisciplinary collaboration, industry engagement, and be keen to work with stakeholders to deliver an outstanding experience. Ideally, you will have experience and qualifications in Assessing and Verifying, or the willingness to undertake these qualifications, along with strong technical knowledge in CNC operations, milling, turning, grinding, and inspection processes. Your blend of practical expertise and commitment to teaching excellence will help shape the next generation of engineering professionals.

Principal accountabilities

• To plan and deliver practical, technical vocational and associated theoretical learning activities for apprentices including training, support for learning and assessment using a variety of methods both on and off the job.
• Prepare suitable learning materials for a range of activities to develop the students’ knowledge, skills and behaviours linked to relevant apprenticeship standards or frameworks.
• Demonstrate tasks and processes to individuals and groups.
• Provide instruction to the specified standards and provide feedback to students on progress through written and online methods, coaching for high expectations of progress and attainment.
• Provide individual and group mentoring for apprentices to ensure that apprenticeship candidates are selected appropriately and are matched to the needs of the employer.
• Supervise groups of apprentices undertaking knowledge and skill acquisition through scheduled off the job learning activities, project work or while on work placement.
• Assess knowledge and skills acquisition using a variety of assessment methods including individual coaching techniques to accelerate the learning of knowledge, skills and behaviours.
• Provide specific learning support to apprentices as required and ensure that learning support records are kept up to date.
• Work with groups of apprentices or individuals to prepare them for external qualification and end-point assessment according to the requirements of the relevant apprenticeship.
• Complete all associated internal, employer and external documentation and track the students’ progress, including recording apprentice data on attendance and achievement using prescribed records systems, both manual and online.
• Ensure that any assessment carried out is completed to the standards laid down by the awarding body and the College Quality Assurance systems.
• Integrate the development of English and Mathematics skills, including their integration into broader learning activities linked to both on and off the job activities.
• Monitor attendance of apprentices at prescribed off the job learning activities, ensuring that records systems are updated as required and employers are kept informed.
• Ensure that apprentices are coached to behave in a professional manner at all times to a high standard of safety in the workplace and during off the job activities.
• Work with liaison and business development teams and independently to develop new business opportunities to increase employer engagement and apprentice uptake and progression.
• To undertake any other duties which may, from time to time, reasonably be required within the general level of responsibility.
• To comply with the requirements of Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, Prevent, Health and Safety, Quality and other University policies including Equal Opportunities, Risk Management and Equality and Diversity.
• Achieve personal and team targets for recruitment, progress, completion and achievement or apprentices within designated durations.
• To take an active role in the mentoring and progress of apprentices, providing a liaison between the apprentice, their employer and the off the job training provider.
• Take an active part in the College and University’s Staff Development Programmes.
• Take an active role, when required, in all curriculum management activities, including open days, recruitment events and external moderation activities.
• To understand and comply with the University’s Equality and Diversity Policy.
• To comply with copyright, software licensing legislation and related University procedures.
• To ensure that the College’s quality assurance procedures are adhered to and additional action taken where necessary.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

Experience

Skills, knowledge & abilities

Business requirements

Benefits