Maintenance & Operations Apprentice

EPUKI; Carrickfergus; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking energy company as an apprentice in Maintenance & Operations. This exciting opportunity allows you to earn while you learn, gaining hands-on experience in a dynamic power generation environment. Over a 36-month apprenticeship, you will develop essential skills in maintaining high safety standards, supporting engineering teams, and ensuring the efficient operation of power plants. With a commitment to your growth, this apprenticeship is not just a job; it's a pathway to a fulfilling career in the energy sector, where your contributions will have a meaningful impact on the future of energy supply in the UK and Ireland.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have 5 GCSEs including Maths, English, and Science.
• For Level 5, 56 UCAS points and STEM A-Levels are essential.

Responsibilities

• Maintain site effectively, ensuring health and safety standards.
• Support engineering and maintenance team with reliability and compliance.
• Operate and inspect equipment to meet legislative requirements.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving skills

Numeracy skills

Literacy skills

IT/IS skills (e.g., MS Office)

Teamwork

Adaptability

Education

5 GCSEs with Grades A-C/Level 4 or above

56 UCAS points

STEM A-Levels including Maths or Physics or L3 BTEC Engineering

Job description

EPUKI are looking for three new apprentices to join our Maintenance and Operations teams based at EP Ballylumford Ltd and EP Kilroot Ltd power stations in Mid & East Antrim. This newly launched apprenticeship scheme, run in conjunction with NRC (Northern Regional College), Belfast is aimed at finding the next generation of Engineering and Maintenance Technicians.

The scheme will typically run for 36 months and allows students to earn a salary whilst studying for their Apprenticeships. Two apprentices will be appointed and study the Level 3 course, and a further apprentice will be appointed and study the Level 5 course. Training will be undertaken at both EP Ballylumford and EP Kilroot with day release for further study spent 1 day a week at NRC (Northern Regional College).

What does a Maintenance & Operations Apprentice actually do?

Day to day you will be:

1. Acquiring the skills to maintain the site effectively, ensuring exceptional Health, Safety, and Environmental standards, optimising production performance, and safeguarding assets to meet power generation targets in line with customer expectations - safely and cost-efficiently.
2. Gaining experience in work planning, including risk assessments, method statements, and contract management.
3. Working with and supporting the engineering and maintenance team in achieving the required levels of reliability, availability, and flexibility to meet business targets, while ensuring compliance with statutory, regulatory, and company policies, guidelines, and standards, as well as industry best practices, as demonstrated through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
4. Learning to operate, maintain and inspect equipment to meet legislative requirements (e.g. PAT testing; lifts; lifting equipment; cranes; DSEAR).
5. Working with the Engineering team to effectively plan and deliver outages to time, quality and budget.
6. Establishing and maintaining effective communication networks within own and wider team, ensuring business objectives and activities are understood and best practice is shared through participation in toolbox talks and site meetings.
7. Supporting the Production team with the operational activities of a gas fired power plant comprising a complex and diverse range of equipment operating 24/7/365 regime.

The demand for electricity is increasing, and while the energy industry is changing, the demand for talented people to take over in the future hasn't. A career in energy is a career with purpose, one that you can be proud of and one that has a critical impact to every person’s life.

Our Ideal Candidate

Skills & Knowledge

1. Working with others – works well with people from different disciplines, backgrounds and expertise to accomplish an activity safely and on time.
2. Interpersonal skills – gets along well with others and takes into account their needs and concerns.
3. Understanding that the roles are based at a working power station, the apprentices must be comfortable with working at heights and working in confined spaces.
4. Flexible approach adapting quickly to changes in the job and work environment and who enjoys being fully involved in ensuring the business is a success.
5. Good numeracy, literacy and problem-solving skills.
6. Demonstrable competence in use of IT/IS skill e.g. MS Office.

Behaviours

1. A flexible approach adapting quickly to changes in the job and work environment and who enjoys being fully involved in ensuring the business is a success (essential).
2. Excellent numeracy, literacy and problem-solving skills (essential).
3. Demonstratable competence in use of IT/IS skills e.g. MS Office (essential).

Qualifications
To meet the requirements of the Level 3 course, you will need:

1. 5 GCSES with Grades A-C/Level 4 or above, including Maths, English and Science (essential).

To meet the requirements of the Level 5 course, you will need:

1. 56 UCAS points (essential).
2. STEM A-Levels including Maths or Physics or L3 BTEC Engineering (essential).

Our apprentices are the future of the power industry, so we want to understand all about you and why you are interested in an apprenticeship within the energy industry. Make sure your application tells all about your interests, extra-curricular activities and any work experience alongside your qualifications.
We’ll give you the technical training to do the job over time, but you need to bring your sense of curiosity, enthusiasm, and teamwork to your time as an apprentice at EP Ballylumford Ltd and EP Kilroot Ltd.

About Us

EPUK Investments Ltd (EPUKI) is the UK division of Energetický a prumyslový holdings (EPH), a leading energy group of over 70 companies that owns and operates assets across Europe. EPH group employs circa 25,000 people internationally, owns €16.7bn of assets, generating €8.6bn of revenue and an EBITDA of €2.1bn.

EPUKI was established in 2015 as the strategic platform for expanding the EPH group into the UK energy market. Since launching, EPUKI has made several acquisitions and now owns multiple renewable and flexible power generating assets in the UK and Ireland.

EPUKI has grown rapidly to revenues ~£1.5bn and EBITDA >£200m. We pride ourselves on an entrepreneurial culture and flat leadership structure where individuals (wherever they are in the organisation) can make a real impact on our business.

Our aim is to enable the UK and Ireland low carbon transition through provision of flexible and reliable energy supply. To achieve this, we will:

1. develop, construct and acquire the right assets to support the transformation of the energy system;
2. invest in our people and our assets to best respond to the changing needs of our sector;
3. continuously challenge ourselves to identify opportunities, build our knowledge and develop innovative solutions.

EPUKI is one of the largest independent generators in the UK and Ireland, with an asset base that covers multiple technologies and a range of revenue streams; these include fully merchant baseload and peaking plant and index traded baseload plants, providing a range of system services across the energy and balancing spectrum. Despite its significant market presence, EPUKI has a flat structure with fast paced decision-making ability enabling better optimisation of market positions. The market continues to evolve and develop as the UK and Irish governments drive towards Net Zero with increasing challenges of renewables penetration, introduction of hydrogen and other new technologies.

Ballylumford Power Station is a combined-cycle power plant that consists of a combination of gas and steam turbines that are powered by natural and distillate gas,. In addition, there are 2 small open-cycle gas turbines. The plant has the capacity to generate up to 713 megawatts.

Kilroot Power Station has an installed capacity of 740 megawatts. The station contains 2 large open-cycle gas turbines and 4 small open-cycle gas turbines. The large open cycle turbines were commissioned in 2024 and are the latest addition to the EPUK Investments fleet. EP Ballylumford and EP Kilroot are key to supporting electric supply to Northern Ireland and across the Island of Ireland.