Start your career with impact — join our specialist team at Spadeadam through our Engineering Apprenticeship Programme and help drive the Energy Transition!
Here at DNV, what we do matters. Whether it’s helping the Energy Industry transition to a more decarbonised and sustainable future or helping safeguard life, property and the environment, every day, what you do will make a difference. This is our shared purpose and one our people are proud to be part of.
OurSpadeadam Research and Testing site is one of the UK’s most unique and exciting places to start a career in safety, engineering, and future energy. For nearly 50 years, our site has been home to large scale research into fires, explosions, and new low carbon technologies like hydrogen. With an 80 hectare site near Brampton, Cumbria, set inside a protected MOD area, Spadeadam gives our apprentices the rare chance to contribute to real experiments, real engineering, and real safety challenges up close — the kind of work most people only ever see on TV.
Our Opportunities:
As an apprentice, you’ll learn alongside more than 100 specialists who work on everything from gas explosions and fire testing to hydrogen powered homes and next generation energy systems. Our site includes full scale test houses, hydrogen pipelines, specialist fire facilities, and the Lord Cullen Training Centre, where people from around the world come to learn about major hazards. This means you won’t just be developing practical skills — you’ll be supporting real tests, hands on demonstrations, and the science behind keeping people and industries safe.
You’ll join us on a permanent contract during August, with your apprenticeship formally commencing in September. Throughout your programme, you’ll spend 80% of your time gaining extensive practical experience, working on real projects alongside specialist colleagues here at Spadeadam. The remaining 20% is spent with our chosen Training Provider in Carlisle, supporting the development of your practical skills and technical knowledge, helping set you on course to becoming an expert in your field.
We are delighted to offer the following exciting apprenticeship opportunities for you to choose from:
- Electrical Installation and Maintenance Technician (Level 3)
- As an Electrical Apprentice, you’ll gain hands on experience supporting electrical and instrumentation work across a variety of client projects here at Spadeadam. You will be involved with:
- Help install wiring systems such as conduit, trunking, and cable trays and supporting the assembly of control panels/distribution boards
- Assist with setting up and testing sensors, transmitters, and control valves
- Carry out routine checks to keep systems running safely and reliably, finding and fixing electrical/instrument faults using testing tools
- Learn to read electrical drawings, P&IDs, and site plans
- Build understanding of key electrical and safety regulations like BS 7671, COSHH, and RAMS
- Record test results and calibration data accurately
- You will also have four or five study blocks each year, where you will spend 2 weeks with our specialist Training Provider in Carlisle
- Your Apprenticeship will last approximately 54 months and upon successful completion you'll be awarded the Level 3 Installation and Maintenance Electrician standard in addition to a Level 3 Electrotechnical Apprenticeship Qualification
- Mechanical Engineering Maintenance Technician (Level 3)
- As a Mechanical Apprentice, you’ll learn hands on engineering skills while working alongside experienced technicians, engineers, and scientists.
- In this role, you’ll help install and maintain industrial pipework and equipment of all sizes, ensure systems are safe through pressure and leak testing, and learn how to work with a variety of gases and fuels.
- You’ll gain experience operating and maintaining specialist equipment — including cryogenic systems — and play an active part in real project testing. You’ll also learn how to read and work from engineering diagrams and develop a strong understanding of workplace safety, following industry standards and procedures every day
- You will spend up to two days each week in Carlisle with our specialist Training Provider building both your technical knowledge and practical skills
- Your Apprenticeship will last approximately 42 months and upon successful completion you will be awarded the Level 3 Engineering Maintenance Technician standard along with an EAL Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Level 3 Technical Certificate
Regardless of which pathway you choose, the first year of your apprenticeship will help you learn and develop critical foundation skills and knowledge around our industry, engineering activities, and ensuring that you always work safely. The next 36 months of your programme will help you build the specialist knowledge and experience required to set you on course to becoming an expert.
Throughout your apprenticeship, your Training Provider will equip you with additional knowledge, skills and behaviours required for your ongoing development, ensuring you have access to lots of online support materials, combined with 1-2-1 sessions with your tutor to help reinforce your learning and foster growth.
Don’t worry about additional travel costs to your Training Provider in Carlisle, as we cover these, but as this off-the-job learning is a critical element of your development, travelling regularly to Carlisle may not be for everyone, so please consider whether you can make this long-term commitment.
It is important to understand that the nature of our work means that you will spend significant time outdoors, in all weather conditions, collaborating with our delivery teams and witnessing our tests and research first hand. The projects you will support, the environment you will work in and the people you will engage with, make this role like no other. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but the opportunity to be part of making a real difference to people’s lives and the future of our planet is immense.
Our Apprenticeship programme is designed to challenge you while making sure you have strong support every step of the way. So don’t worry if some aspects of your role feel complex or unfamiliar at first, you’ll have a dedicated manager to provide pastoral care and ensure that your individual needs are recognised and supported to help you thrive. You’ll also be surrounded by a large team, committed to helping you learn and develop, providing you with everything you need to succeed, including opportunities to embark on further training and obtain specialist qualifications.