Trainee Plant Engineer

About

The Role Right across infrastructure, theres a requirement to not only maintain, but also renew and reimagine. Whatever stage youre at in your career, with us youll have an opportunity to grow and develop. Delivering essential infrastructure services for life, while being safety first, and client and customer centric in a friendly, fun and respectful environment where you are encouraged to thrive.

Where will you be working? As an organisation, there is little we dont do and plenty to get involved in. Our Group Support roles are vital in making sure we can help over 11,000 people deliver essential infrastructure seamlessly across water, energy, transport and telecom. This role is in our Plant & Fleet department, our Plant & Fleet supports teams across our business with their vehicle, plant and specialist equipment needs, offering hire solutions that are commercially effective, reliable, safe and compliant.

Want to come and be a part of it? What will you be doing? We are seeking an ambitious and technically-minded Trainee Plant Engineer to join our internal plant and fleet team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with hands-on workshop or mechanical engineering experience who is ready to transition into a technical, office-based role with a strategic focus.

Working alongside an experienced engineer, you will develop expertise in plant and equipment specification, emerging technologies, lifecycle costing, and technical compliance. This is not a day-to-day maintenance role; rather, it focuses on the technical and commercial aspects of plant asset management from specification and procurement through to failure investigation and supplier management.

This role offers genuine development and promotional opportunities, with a clear pathway to managing supplier relationships, leading technical investigations, and contributing to business growth through accurate costing and specification excellence. What youll bring Essential Requirements Previous experience in a mechanical workshop or engineering environment (plant, vehicles, HGVs, or similar) sufficient to understand maintenance requirements and predict associated costs Strong technical aptitude with a genuine interest in plant, machinery, and emerging technologies Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret technical data and translate it into commercial context Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office (particularly Excel for cost modelling) Excellent communication skills able to liaise with suppliers, manufacturers, and internal stakeholders at all levels Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to problem-solving Proactive, self-motivated, and eager to develop technical expertise Full UK driving licence

Desirable Requirements

Experience with plant, construction equipment, or heavy machinery Exposure to technical specification writing or product evaluation Understanding of whole-life costing or asset management principles Knowledge of health and safety legislation and investigation processes Relevant qualifications in mechanical or automotive engineering (HNC/HND, NVQ Level 3, City & Guilds, or degree) Familiarity with failure analysis techniques (root cause analysis, FMEA, etc.)

Whats in it for you?

We offer a range of benefits designed to support your life in and out of work, some of which include;
Matched or contributory pension scheme Online GP service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year Employee assistance programme My Rewards portal, access to 1000s of retail discounts Life assurance Cycle to work, salary finance and give as you earn schemes Enhanced maternity, paternity leave and adoption leave Reward and recognition scheme In addition, this role offers;
Discretionary bonus scheme 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays Recommend a friend get rewarded for introducing people to us! Overtime Annual tool allowance

About us We want to be an employer of choice and a great place to work, attracting diverse and talented people, who join us and make a difference. We are one of the Top 100 UK companies actively supporting and recruiting veterans. Our ENABLE inclusion networks bring together people who have a shared…