Trainee Maintenance Engineer in Cardiff

Are you ready to launch a skilled engineering career with real purpose? Join Cardiff and Vale University Health Board as a Trainee Maintenance Engineer and play a vital role in keeping our hospitals safe, operational, and fit for delivering outstanding patient care. This is a unique opportunity to earn, learn, and develop within a supportive NHS environment.

You will work across a wide range of systems—from water and ventilation to medical gas and specialist plant—gaining hands-on experience in maintenance, fault finding, and repair. Alongside this, you'll complete a structured training pathway including Level 2 and Level 3 engineering qualifications, delivered through day release at college. This is more than a job—it's a progression pathway. With commitment and successful completion, you will be eligible to apply for a Band 5 role, supporting your long-term career in engineering.

We are looking for candidates who bring curiosity, resilience, and a genuine interest in engineering. You'll need 5 GCSEs (including English, Maths and Science) and a commitment to learning and working within a team that values compassion, integrity, and continuous improvement. This is a fixed term role for 42 months.

Main duties of the job include:

• The post combines practical experience with a structured apprenticeship programme.
• Trainees will follow an Individual Learning Plan and attend college on a day-release basis to achieve recognised engineering qualifications, including Level 2 and Level 3 awards and essential skills.
• The three-year programme gradually reduces college attendance while increasing workplace learning under the guidance of experienced staff.
• Progress will be reviewed regularly with supervisors and assessors.
• Progression depends on achieving competency requirements, demonstrating commitment and meeting organisational values and behaviours.

This is a developmental Band 4 role with a defined progression pathway, and successful completion will provide eligibility to apply for a Band 5 post. Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs, including English, Maths and Science, and demonstrate a commitment to a career in Estates engineering. In line with Welsh Government apprenticeship funding criteria, candidates who already hold a degree or higher-level qualification are not eligible for this programme.

About us: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of the largest Integrated Health Boards in the UK, employing over 17,000 staff, providing over 100 specialist services. Working across 6 hospital sites, we have a diverse range of career opportunities to offer. Serving over 500,000 people living in Cardiff and the Vale, we are focused on the health and care needs of the local population whilst working with our partners to develop regional services. Together we are committed to improving health outcomes for everyone, delivering excellent care and support.

Our mission is “Living Well, Caring Well, Working Together”, and our vision is that every person's chance of leading a healthy life should be equal. Our 10-year transformation and improvement strategy, Shaping Our Future Wellbeing, is our chance to work collaboratively with the public and our workforce to make our health board more sustainable for the future.

Job responsibilities include:

• ONC Mechanical Engineering / relevant engineering discipline or equivalent level of experience in the specialist areas of engineering through training, experience.
• Mechanical Engineering BTEC Level 3.
• NVQ Level 3 - Mechanical Engineering.
• City & Guilds 6189 - Plumbing & Domestic Heating.
• City & Guilds 3345 - Water Regulations.
• City & Guilds 7188 - Heating & Ventilation.
• 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above including English, Maths and 1 Science.
• HNC Mechanical Engineering / relevant engineering discipline or equivalent level of experience in the specialist areas of engineering through training, experience.

Experience required includes:

• Completion of an Approved Apprenticeship or Structured Training Program for a minimum of three years.
• Sufficient site experience.
• Knowledge of low pressure hot water systems, steam raising plant, ventilation systems, pneumatic/hydraulic systems, building energy management systems.
• Working in an Acute Hospital Environment.
• Knowledge of current HTM's and HBN's.

Skills required include:

• Good Communication Skills.
• Ability to work without supervision.
• Adaptable to change.
• Capable of working in a demand driven service.
• Working to deadlines.

Personal Qualities:

• If required in exceptional circumstances, undertake on call duties to fill any gap in the rota until such time that agreement of a full rota team has been established on a permanent basis by the teams and management.
• Volunteer for overtime if required to meet urgent service needs.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Address: Estates Department University Hospital of Wales (Multisite)