Summary
Weld Apprentices are expected to gain a comprehensive insight into all aspects of welding and demonstrate a practical capability to support this. They will use skilled techniques to make high strength joints between parts, whilst using a range of welding processes and metals to meet the level of quality/inspection required in safety critical work.
Wage
£16,224 a year
Training course
Welder (level 2)
Hours
Monday to Friday from 6:30am - 2:48pm, with a 10 minute break at 10am and a 30 minute set lunch at 12pm
39 hours a week
Possible start date
Monday 1 September
Duration
1 year 6 months
Positions available
1
Work
As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.
What you’ll do at work
The company are continuing to develop their apprenticeship programme and are looking to recruit a General Welder Apprentice for our Manufacturing facilities at Ipswich.
The role will include the following:
* Correct use of safety equipment including PPE (personal protective equipment), RPE (respiratory protective equipment) and LEV (local exhaust ventilation)
* Produce a range of welded assemblies to include butt welds and fillet welds using both MIG (metal inert gas) and TIG (tungsten inert gas) on thin sheet and plate metal
* Grinding using bench and hand-held grinders
* Metal finishing using shot blasters
* EH&S training
Ransomes Factory Tour for prospective Apprentices, Thursday 20th March 2025 4:00pm – 5:30pm.
If you would like to come along for a tour of our plant, discuss apprenticeships and to see where you could be working, please contact Jo Barber to reserve your space. Email: jbarber@textron.com or Call 01473 276271. Parents welcome too! Only available by booking in advance.
Where you’ll work
West Road
Ransomes Europark
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP3 9TT
Training
An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.
College or training organisation
COLCHESTER INSTITUTE
Your training course
Welder (level 2)
Equal to GCSE
Course contents
* Apply health and safety procedures including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
* Collect and use information - text and data. For example, manufacturer's instructions, manuals, job instructions, drawings and quality control documentation.
* Prepare welding materials and work area: sourcing, checking and protecting.
* Prepare welding machines or equipment and safety protection measures, for example, check calibration and maintenance dates, inspection for cable damage.
* Check and use or operate tools and equipment.
* Set, modify and monitor welding controls, for example, current, arc voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow rates, polarity, mechanised tractor units.
* Identify issues and actions required. Escalate issues or concerns.
* Use manual processes and equipment to remove material before and after welding.
* Weld using processes, for example, tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), manual metal arc (MMA), metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), tractor-mounted metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), tractor-mounted flux cored arc welding (FCAW), tractor-mounted or orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG), tractor-mounted or orbital plasma arc welding (PAW).
* Adapt welding technique to weld different material groups, for example, carbon steel, low alloy steel (3-7% alloy content), high alloy ferritic or martensitic steel (>7% alloy content), austenitic stainless steel, duplex stainless steels, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys.
* Weld materials in different joint configurations, for example, butt, T-butt, fillet, cladding or buttering.
* Adapt welding techniques to weld materials in different positions, for example, down-hand, horizontal-vertical, horizontal, vertical-up, vertical-down, overhead, inclined.
* Identify surface defects.
* Apply visual inspection, dimensional and alignment checks.
* Restore the work area on completion of the welding activity, for example, clean equipment and machinery, tidy the work area, return excess resources and consumables.
* Communicate verbally with others, for example, internal and external customers, colleagues, supervisors and managers.
* Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards and guidance. Segregate resources for re-use, recycling and disposal.
* Follow equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
* Follow work instructions - verbal or written.
* Apply team working principles.
* Apply health and safety procedures including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
* Collect and use information - text and data. For example, manufacturer's instructions, manuals, job instructions, drawings and quality control documentation.
* Prepare welding materials and work area: sourcing, checking and protecting.
* Prepare welding machines or equipment and safety protection measures, for example, check calibration and maintenance dates, inspection for cable damage.
* Check and use or operate tools and equipment.
* Set, modify and monitor welding controls, for example, current, arc voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow rates, polarity, mechanised tractor units.
* Identify issues and actions required. Escalate issues or concerns.
* Use manual processes and equipment to remove material before and after welding.
* Weld using processes, for example, tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), manual metal arc (MMA), metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), tractor-mounted metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), tractor-mounted flux cored arc welding (FCAW), tractor-mounted or orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG), tractor-mounted or orbital plasma arc welding (PAW).
* Adapt welding technique to weld different material groups, for example, carbon steel, low alloy steel (3-7% alloy content), high alloy ferritic or martensitic steel (>7% alloy content), austenitic stainless steel, duplex stainless steels, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys.
* Weld materials in different joint configurations, for example, butt, T-butt, fillet, cladding or buttering.
* Adapt welding techniques to weld materials in different positions, for example, down-hand, horizontal-vertical, horizontal, vertical-up, vertical-down, overhead, inclined.
* Identify surface defects.
* Apply visual inspection, dimensional and alignment checks.
* Restore the work area on completion of the welding activity, for example, clean equipment and machinery, tidy the work area, return excess resources and consumables.
* Communicate verbally with others, for example, internal and external customers, colleagues, supervisors and managers.
* Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards and guidance. Segregate resources for re-use, recycling and disposal.
* Follow equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
* Follow work instructions - verbal or written.
* Apply team working principles.
Your training plan
* The apprentice will be working towards the Level 2 General Welder Apprenticeship Standard
* This is an 18 month duration apprenticeship with college attendance required once per week at Colchester Institute's Braintree Campus, transport from Colchester campus provided
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE or equivalent in:
* 4 GCSE's including maths and English (grade A*-D/9-3)
Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.
Skills
* Communication skills
* Problem solving skills
* Logical
* Team working
* Initiative
* Good literacy and numeracy
* Keen to learn
* Keen to engage
* Critical thinking skills
* Enthusiastic
* Flexibility and resilience
* Ambitious
* Self Motivated
* Punctual time-keeping
* Demonstrable practical skills
Other requirements
You will be required to attend Braintree Campus 1 day/week (Transport is provided from Colchester campus to Braintree). There is no working away, and shift is as detailed. Full laundered work wear service and corporate tee shirts and sweatshirts provided free of charge. All PPE provided including safety footwear.