Kaizen Apprenticeship

Overview

Kaizen Apprentice – Nissan Sunderland

Got built-in curiosity and love getting your hands dirty to fix and improve things? Then you’ll thrive on our Production and Kaizen schemes. Here at Nissan, we’ve designed our 2-year apprenticeships for people just like you. You’ll split your time between learning at college, and getting stuck into hands-on work in our world-class manufacturing plant.

Kaizen means “continuous improvement” in Japanese—a principle at the heart of everything we do.

This isn’t just an apprenticeship— it’s your opportunity to become a valued member of our team. You’ll collaborate with experts in production, engineering, and maintenance, learning from their experience while making real contributions from day one. We treat our apprentices as equals, giving you the chance to develop practical skills and life experience that will shape your career.

It’s a challenging, rewarding scheme designed to help you grow as far as you want to go. While shift work is part of the role, we’ll support you with training and benefits that reflect your potential.

Benefits include private healthcare, pension scheme, employee discounts, monthly prize draws, and access to our discounted car scheme*.

* Eligible after 6 months’ employment

• 4 GCSEs or equivalent (achieved or predicted):

• Mathematics (Grade A–C or 5+)

• English Language or Literature (Grade A–C or 4+)

• Two other subjects (Grade A–C or 4+)

• At least 1 year post-16 education or experience in engineering / welding

• A positive, can-do attitude and motivation to learn

• Age 16 or over at the start of the apprenticeship

• Ability to commute to Nissan Sunderland and local college sites

• Eligibility to work in the UK (must have ordinarily resided in the UK & Islands for at least 3 years by Sept 2026)

• Split your time between college learning and practical work in our plant

• Work with Nissan teams across Production, Engineering, and Maintenance to make improvements to the production environment

• Learn industry-standard tools and techniques, including lean manufacturing principles and Kaizen methodology

• Gain hands-on experience with tooling, equipment, and machinery in a technically advanced environment

• Contribute to projects ranging from simple repairs to innovative new solutions

By the end of your apprenticeship, you’ll have the chance to achieve:

• Level 2 Engineering Operative qualification *

* subject to performance. All qualifications may be subject to change

• We maintain a safe and healthy workplace, which includes pre-employment testing for drugs and alcohol.

• Communication about your application will be via email. Please check regularly.

• Questions? Contact: ap

We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including women, ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and those from socially or economically disadvantaged communities. We value the unique perspectives and experiences everyone brings and believe diversity strengthens our workplace.

If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process—for example, accessible interview formats, extra time, assistive technologies, or workplace adaptations—please let us know. We will work with you to ensure you can participate fully and comfortably. All recruitment materials and assessments can be provided in accessible formats.

We understand that economic circumstances can create barriers to applying for roles. If costs such as travel, technological access, or other practical constraints may prevent you from taking part in our recruitment process, please contact us. Wherever possible, we will offer support — such as virtual interview options, reimbursement of essential travel costs, or alternative assessment arrangements.

• Starting salary: £17,400.58 per year

• Location:
  
  Nissan Sunderland plant (SR5 3NS
  ) and local college sites

• Hours:
  
  39 per week

• Duration: 2 years

Note:

The following line was removed for formatting and consistency with the required tags: “Sunderland United Kingdom”.