Laboratory Scientist Materials Degree Apprenticeship (Level 6) - Darvick Ltd

Department: Science Apprenticeship
- Materials L6

Location: Brierley Hill

Compensation: £24,000 - £27,000 / year

Description

Location: Unit D1, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 1QA

Expected

Start Date:

September 2026

Working for Darvick Ltd

At Darvick Ltd, we're redefining the boundaries of materials testing. As a specialist provider of independent sub-contract testing services, we work with cutting-edge clients to deliver bespoke solutions for non-standard, complex, and extreme environments — from cryogenic and elevated temperatures to high-pressure, gaseous, and steam conditions.

Darvick Ltd is an independent, sub-contract testing laboratory. We have UKAS flexible scope accreditation (Lab 26942), and Rolls Royce Technical Approval for tests we carry out for them as a customer. We are a small company, with our own software, electronics and mechanical design staff, meaning we can respond quickly in-house to develop and deliver unique testing capability for customers.

• Starting salary: £24,000 - £27,000 per annum (dependent on experience)
• Working hours:
  
  37 hours per week
• Monday
  - Thursday 8am - 4.30pm / Fridays 8am - 1pm
• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Pension
• Regular training and CPD opportunities

As a Materials Testing Degree Apprentice
, you will work towards a fully funded degree while gaining hands‑on experience in materials testing and analysis. You'll be part of a dynamic laboratory and field team, conducting tests on metallic and composite materials, ranging from testing customer products such as horse saddles, grab rails, lifting hooks, to testing composites in high pressure steam environment, or testing materials in hydrogen environments.

• Working to the Company BS EN ISO 17025 Quality management system and UKAS accredited flexible scope accreditation
• Analysing customer requirements to specify testing jobs
• Testing and reporting of customer products and materials
• Operating, calibrating and maintaining test equipment and records
• Working as an integrated member of the team to agree and deliver organisational priorities
• Contribute to continuous improvement
• Participating in business wide projects
• Adopt safe working practices and undertake appropriate training in Health and Safety
• Maintain good housekeeping at all times

You’re naturally curious about materials and how they perform in real‑world conditions. You’re interested in understanding why materials behave the way they do — whether that’s how they respond to stress, temperature, or environmental factors, or why they sometimes fail or degrade over time.

You enjoy hands‑on work and are comfortable carrying out physical testing, preparing samples, and working with equipment to assess properties like strength, durability, or corrosion. You take a methodical approach, following technical standards and procedures carefully, and pay close attention to detail to ensure your results are accurate and reliable.

You think analytically and enjoy interpreting data, linking your findings back to real‑world performance and engineering outcomes. You’re confident working with measurements, calculations, and reports, and can communicate your results clearly to others. Motivated to build expertise, you’re interested in developing your skills in materials testing and analysis, contributing to safer, more reliable products and structures.

Please note:

Due to the nature of the role, you must be 18+ to be eligible.

• Be 18 or over
• Not be in full-time education
• Have lived in the UK for at least 3 years
• Have the right to work in the UK

As this is a Level 6 Materials Degree apprenticeship, you’ll also need:

• An A-Level in Physics/Engineering (Grade C or above)

OR

• A level 3 qualification such as a T-Level or BTEC Extended Diploma in a Science related subject

It would also be beneficial for your application if you had relevant work experience in a related field.

Apprenticeships are designed to provide new knowledge, skills and behaviours, so applicants should not already hold a degree or higher qualification in a closely related subject, or have significant experience in the…