Quality Inspector Apprenticeship

Career Area:

Operations

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Quality Inspector Apprenticeship

Location: Shrewsbury, United Kingdom

Salary: £15,930

Benefits:

• 21 days annual leave,    

• Up to 6% Bonus

• Contributory pension scheme - Caterpillar will double the employee's contribution Up to 10%

• Contributory share scheme - Caterpillar will match 50% of the employee's contribution.

• Optional flexible benefits including access to health and dental care plans, EV car lease, holiday purchase.

When you join Caterpillar, you are joining a team of makers, innovators and doers. We are the people who roll up our sleeves and do the work to build a better world. We don’t just talk about progress and innovation. We make it happen. And we are proud of that, because it helps our customers build and power the world we live in – the roads, hospitals, homes and infrastructure.

What do we do?

Based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, our facility has over 100 years of manufacturing experience and now specialises in a wide variety of military, rail and Cat machine engines, transmissions and drive line systems.

What experiences can we offer you?

There's more to work at Caterpillar than just the work itself. We hire smart, friendly people and it shows in our culture. We hold ourselves to high standards and make sure our values of integrity, excellence, teamwork commitment and sustainability come to life in the way we work.

We believe diversity and inclusion are fundamental to innovation. We respect and value people with different opinions, experiences and backgrounds and believe that by working together, we can produce better results than any of us can achieve alone. Caterpillar is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.

What is the apprenticeship programme?

For the first 10 months you will work a five-day week which will be a blend of days in college and in work. You will achieve a Level 2 qualification, which will include additional units specific to our business. This provides an excellent foundation of basic skills and theory for a career in manufacturing and engineering and offers an opportunity to put these into practice at work.

For the following two years you will work our standard day release (one day college, three days in work) to complete BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma, where you will be given the opportunity to experience different aspects of engineering, designed to provide you with an excellent foundation in the function.

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will be a qualified Engineering Technician. You will also be eligible to be professionally recognised by the IMechE (Institute of Mechanical Engineers).

The programme is offered as a four-year fixed-term contract of employment. At the end of this period you will be eligible to apply for any roles that are available at that time.

Outline list of main job duties & projects

You will be embedded in a highly skilled team and will collaborate with a range of people across the facility whilst spending time in other areas of the business to fully understand how our Manufacturing Operations function works. Our apprenticeship role will be based in the following area:

• Quality Inspection: you will join a specialised team responsible for ensuring all inhouse machined components and externally supplied components into the facility are defect-free and cause no disruption to engine or transmissions assembly. You will investigate any issues that arise, utilising a variety of high accuracy measurement devices, from hand gauging to complex measuring equipment such as Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) and programming from Computer Aided Designed models, and produce a report that will help our suppliers fix issues, improving quality.

Who are we looking for?

For this apprenticeship, the minimum / expected requirement is to have:

• 5 GCSEs (or academic equivalents) at Grade C/Level 4 or above. Must include:

  • Maths & English

  • A Science or Engineering subject

NOTE: You can apply with predicted grades. If you’re successful at the interview stage, the job offer will be conditional on you achieving the required grades before September 2025.

We will provide you with the training and support you need to be successful at Caterpillar.

Successful candidates will be keen to learn and will demonstrate a strong interest in developing a career in a production engineering environment in the area they are applying for. See our website for more hints and tips on making your application stand out.

Recruitment Process

Go Live: January 17th 2025 

Closing Date:  April 14th 2025

Interview/Assessment Centre Day (in-person):  April 30th 2025

Employment Start Date:  September 1st 2025 (provisional) 

The recruitment process will start on 17th January and will end after offers are made to successful candidates, approximately mid-May 2025. Please note that once you have submitted your application, you may not hear further until assessment centres are scheduled at the end of April.

The recruitment stages are described on our website Caterpillar | Shrewsbury Apprenticeships

One company, limitless opportunities

Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. We do business on every continent, principally operating through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Energy & Transportation – and providing financing and related services through our Financial Products segment.

Careers at Caterpillar are limitless, we have opportunities in Engineering, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain and so much more. You can create the career you want. It’s your time and talent, make it count.

For more information 

We will be holding an open evening where you can learn more about the Shrewsbury facility, the apprenticeship programme and specific opportunities. For more information and to book go to www.caterpillar.com/shrewsburyapprenticeships. 

Posting Dates:

January 27, 2025 - April 14, 2025

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO).

Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.