Engineering Degree Apprentice, Kohler Mira

Kohler Mira operates under 3 successful brands: Kohler UK, Mira Showers and Rada. We have a strong history of apprenticeships and aim to offer valuable training and experience which benefit both our businesses and the individuals gaining them.

If you are enthusiastic, ambitious and driven, we challenge you to join our Award-Winning apprenticeship scheme as a Manufacturing Engineering Degree Apprentice, become a part of our ever-growing apprenticeship scheme, and take advantage of the opportunities we provide to develop your skills.

Basic Function
You will learn and obtain experience in the fundamentals of Manufacturing and Design engineering, primarily through training at the University of West England (UWE) in Bristol, and through onsite placements at Kohler Mira.

Your apprenticeship will last for approximately 4 years, during which time you will rotate around the wide range of engineering teams across our business.

Throughout the duration of the apprenticeship, you will be taught and put into practice a range of engineering skills. You will be supported by a dedicated apprentice manager who will oversee your development, college progress, and ensure you are working on value-add business projects.

You will join an ever-growing cohort of apprentices across the business and engineering function all focused on working towards similar goals. We encourage and empower our apprentices to strive for achievement with many of them winning awards at Nationally recognised events for Sustainability and Contact Centre contributions, and recognition awards through their colleges.

Key Responsibilities
You will engage in part time study at the University, attending 2 days per week in the first year and then 1 day per week in years 2-4. The remainder of the time you will be on site at Kohler Mira in Cheltenham developing your skills. A combination of study and the practical skills you will gain will achieve you a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering with Manufacturing*.

The course offers a good split of Design, Mechanical and Manufacturing units which support job roles within Kohler Mira.

Subject to aspiration, performance and business requirement, you may progress alternative studies in further education on a part-time basis.

Whilst in the business, you will undertake a series of objective training placements in different departments working on initial design all the way through to manufacture and distribution. These may include:
Product Design – combining knowledge of design, engineering, and manufacturing processes to create innovative new products
Research and Development Lab – Rigorous development testing of new and existing products to British and International standards
New Product Integration – Design and implementation of new production lines and specification of automated machinery
Assembly and Manufacturing Engineering – Front line problem solving and improvement projects in the manufacturing area
Electronics – Hardware and software design, development, and testing for new and existing products.

Where applicable, you may also experience business functions outside of Engineering, such as Finance, Customer Service and Sales in order to gain a full understanding of our business.

Regular time for self-reflection and review, and one to ones with your manager will be in place. You will also be able to access, and utilise, our comprehensive Associate training courses and materials. This will support you to regularly review your strengths and areas for development, and for two-way feedback.

As an apprentice you will also:

• Support and be a part of the Kohler Mira Apprentice Community
• Support STEAM at Kohler Mira
• Participate in Charity events
• And more!

Person Specification

• Tariff points: 112
• GCSE: GCSE: Grade C/4 or above in English and Mathematics, or equivalent (we accept Functional Skills Level 2 in English and Maths).
• A-level subjects: Grade C or above in Mathematics plus a pass in one of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Computing/Computer Science, Design and Technology, Electronics, Engineering, ICT, Further Mathematics, Music Technology, Physics, Statistics. Points from A-level General Studies and AS-level subjects (not taken onto full A-level) can be included towards overall tariff. You must have a minimum of two A-levels.
• EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: One of the following BTEC Diplomas: Aeronautical Engineering, Applied Science, Construction and the Built Environment, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Engineering, Land-based Technology, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Operations and Maintenance Engineering. Must include Merit in one of the following units: Further Engineering Mathematics or Further Mathematics for Construction. Please list the units that you are taking in your application

T Levels: Grade C in A-Level Mathematics, in addition to your T Level qualification. If you have or are looking to partially complete your T-Level, you are still required to have the equivalent to 2 full A-Levels as part of our minimum entry requirements. As a result, if you are applying with only the core or occupational specialism, this may be insufficient as a stand-alone qualification.

• Strong desire to learn and develop, using open thinking; able to easily adapt to new ways of working
• An evident interest in engineering as a subject
• Experience of engineering activities are advantageous but not necessary. This may include:
• Hobbies or voluntary work
• Previous work experience
• Engineering related school subjects

– Good IT skills – A working knowledge of Microsoft office programs is sufficient

• Ideally able to demonstrate a strong work ethic, e.g. through part time employment and/or voluntary activities

Key Behaviours

• Show initiative in different situations
• Be curious, experiment and innovate
• Be a team player
• Take responsibility and be accountable for your actions and decisions
• Show an ability to prioritize
• Show an ability to listen well and work to improve the experience of our customers

What we can offer you

• A starting salary of £20K which will be reviewed annually.
• A sign on bonus upon successful completion of your probation
• Access to a company pension scheme
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Access to company Health scheme
• Support from a dedicated apprentice manager
• Annual apprentice residential
• Opportunities for further education if successful at gaining permanent employment

Find out more
If you’re interested in finding out more about our business and this opportunity, join us at our Open evening on Thursday 28th November 2024 or Thursday 16th January 2025. Email earlycareers@mirashowers.com for a booking form, or see one of associates at your school’s careers fair for the QR code

How to Apply
Applications open from November 2024 and can be made via our website: www.mirashowers.com/earlycareers

Your application should include both a:

• CV outlining any relevant qualifications, skills and achievements
• Personal statement outlining why you would like an apprenticeship with Kohler Mira (max. 400 words)

Applications close on Friday 17th February 2025.

If your application is successful at stage 1, the next step will be to attend a mandatory assessment centre in Early March.

Please ensure you are available to attend before submitting your application. If successful at the assessment centre, final stage applicants could be taken through to a formal interview.

*We continually review the quality of our training providers to ensure that our apprentices are receiving the highest standard of training and so reserve the right to change provider or the apprenticeship you are enrolled on, if this is required to fulfil our obligation to you. You will always be enrolled on a course that is relevant to your apprenticeship. **Kohler Mira adheres to the apprenticeship standards framework. Therefore, this programme may be subject to changes, if made at a national level.