Engineering maintenance technicians are responsible for making sure machinery and equipment runs smoothly in all areas of manufacturing, production and transportation. Sectors range from food and pharmaceuticals through to rail and aircraft engineering.

Maintenance technicians organise routine servicing schedules, diagnose faults and carry out repairs in a range of settings, for example:

• manufacturing equipment in factories and on production lines
• transport equipment and machinery, for example rail or aircraft 
• office and laboratory equipment
• telecommunications and computer equipment in non-manufacturing organisations.

Technicians' work falls into one of two areas:

Planned or preventative maintenance:

• drawing up inspection schedules
• making sure regular checks are carried out in line with schedules
• delegating routine maintenance work to fitters
• checking and calibrating instruments to make sure they are accurate
• replacing components as required, or as part of a regular replacement cycle.

Emergency maintenance:

• responding immediately to emergencies
• diagnosing problems as quickly as possible
• keeping production managers informed of progress
• rostering teams or individuals to make sure that 24-hour cover is available
• fixing faults on site or arranging for replacement machinery or equipment to be installed.

Maintenance technicians use manufacturer's technical manuals to help locate faults, and they use a range of testing equipment and tools, including welding equipment, to deal with the problems.

They also work closely with engineering fitters, often supervising their work. See the profile for Engineering Maintenance Fitter.

Hours and Environment

Most maintenance technicians work 37 to 40 hours week, often including shifts and emergency call-out duties.

Your work may be indoors in a factory or production plant, or outdoors servicing equipment on a building site. You wear personal protective clothing for most jobs.

Skills and Interests

To be an engineering maintenance technician, you need:

• good practical and technical skills
• an aptitude for maths, science and IT
• good communication skills
• an understanding of engineering drawings and principles
• the ability to work quickly and under pressure
• the ability to manage a varied workload in an efficient manner
• good problem-solving skills
• the ability to work well as part of a team or alone
• an awareness of health and safety legislation.

Entry

You may be able to start as an apprentice technician with an engineering, manufacturing or transport operating company. Funding for apprenticeships is available for 16-24 year olds and some over-25s. To find out more, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk. For information about apprenticeships in other parts of the UK, see Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To be eligible for an apprenticeship scheme, you will need four or five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) in subjects such as maths, science, English, and design and technology. Some employers may require one or two A levels/highers in maths and science or equivalent qualifications.

You could look at alternative qualifications, which are open to all ages, and cover some of the skills needed for this role. These are available at local colleges and include:

• BTEC Certificate/Diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering (contains options in mechanical, electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering)
• City & Guilds Progression Award in Applying Engineering Principles (6983) levels 1 and 2, and the Certificate in Engineering (2800) Level 3.

You can find more details about relevant courses in the profiles for mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering technician.

There are higher-level qualifications including foundation degrees, BTEC HNDs and degrees in engineering, which you can use to get into this role. The Institution of Engineering and Technology has details of UK colleges and universities offering these higher-level programmes. See their website in Further Information.

It is possible to enter at this job after gaining experience as an engineering operative or fitter. See the profile for Engineering Maintenance Fitter.

For information about engineering as a career, see SEMTA and Women into Science and Engineering. In addition, the Engineering Training Council (Northern Ireland) has careers information and a course database for local colleges. See their websites in Further Information.

Training

Once you are working, you can continue training on the job. There is a wide range of work-based training available. The exact pathway you take will depend on the type of work you do. Some options include the following NVQs/SVQs:

• Engineering Maintenance and Installation Level 2
• Process Engineering Maintenance levels 2 and 3
• Engineering Maintenance Level 3
• Maintaining Plant and Systems (Instrument and Control, Mechanical and Electrical) Level 3.

You can find more specific qualifications for particular fields in the profiles for mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering technician.

If you have suitable qualifications and experience as a maintenance technician, you could consider registering with the Engineering Council to attain EngTech status.

Opportunities

Engineering, production and manufacturing companies are the main employers with excellent prospects for qualified technicians. There is a demand for experienced technicians all over the country.

There may with some opportunities to work abroad for multinational companies, particularly in EU countries, the USA, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

If you take further training up to degree level, you may be able to qualify fully as an engineer in your particular field, for example mechanical or electrical.

As well as engineering opportunities, you may be able to move into related areas, such as technical sales, maintenance team management and contract management.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Salaries start between £18,500 and £21,50 for qualified technicians.
Experienced technicians can earn between £22,000 and £30,000 a year.
Senior technicians can earn between £30,000 and £35,000.

Further information

6th Floor
10 Maltravers Street
London
WC2R 3ER
Tel: 020 7557 6426 Interpoint
20-24 York Street
Belfast
BT15 1AQ
Tel: 028 9032 9878 14 Upton Road
Watford
Hertfordshire
WD18 0JT
Tel: 0800 282 167 Savoy Place
London
WC2R 0BL
Tel: 020 7240 1871