Apprenticeship training course
Composites technician (level 3)
Composite technicians produce polymer matrix composite components or final products to a specification.
- Qualification level
-
3
Equivalent to A level. - Typical duration
- 36 months
- Apprenticeship category
- Engineering and manufacturing
- Maximum funding
-
£20,000
Maximum amount government will fund
for apprenticeship training. - Skills
-
Skills an apprentice will learn
- Review drawings, instructions, or information to understand task.
- Plan work. Identify and organise resources.
- Identify hazards and risks in the workplace.
- Apply health and safety procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Apply environmental and sustainability procedures in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Apply sustainability principles for example, in choice of materials, minimising waste.
- Prepare and use mould tools.
- Select and check hand tools, equipment and machinery including calibration record.
- Use or operate hand tools, equipment, and machinery.
- Store mould tools, hand tools, and equipment.
- Select, check, and prepare materials for example, weigh resins, cut reinforcement.
- Follow quality control processes during manufacture for example, check for contaminants, record batch numbers or expiry dates.
- Apply laminate to mould for example, cut, add darts, corner definition, orientation, position, and order.
- Complete preparation for and start curing process for example, select and apply consumables for example vacuum bag, infuse with resin, add heat or pressure.
- Extract product from mould (break out).
- Conduct final product quality assurance procedure. For example, conduct grading parameters checks (size, appearance, weight), and take samples for laboratory testing.
- Identify issues for example, de-laminations, inclusions, surface defects, surface imperfections, and maintenance requirements.
- Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
- Segregate resources for reuse, recycling, and disposal.
- Record or enter data - paper based or electronic. For example, process and production records, traceability records, and quality assurance records.
- Interpret data for example, defect data and geometrical measurements. Use data to validate suggestions.
- Investigate a problem to identify the underlying cause. Identify a solution to the problem.
- Apply continuous improvement techniques. Devise suggestions for improvement. For example, improving the energy consumption or waste profile of processes and procedures to improve the sustainability or carbon footprint of a product, process, or task.
- Apply team working principles.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Communicate in written form in the workplace for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
- Use information technology for work tasks. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
- Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned continued professional development (CPD) activities. Evaluate CPD against plans made.
Full information on Composites technician (level 3) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.