Developing Maintenance Technicians at 3M

How NC Group’s Maintenance Technician Apprenticeships Build Industry-Ready Talent

Gary Simon, Maintenance Apprentice Coordinator, James Graham and Joseph Birchall,

Maintenance Technicians, 3M, with Steve Harrison, NC Group Engineering Team Leader

3M is a global science and manufacturing organisation, operating across multiple sectors and sites, renowned for innovation, quality, and safety-critical production.

3M’s Aycliffe Business Park manufacturing plant requires highly skilled engineering and maintenance professionals who can safely and efficiently maintain complex, high-volume operations.

NC Group has proudly worked in partnership with 3M for approximately 7 years, delivering industry-led training and engineering apprenticeship programmes aligned to its manufacturing operations. During this time, we’ve supported approximately 200 shop floor employees, delivered bespoke mechanical and electrical engineering training, and developed apprentices who now play key roles within the business.

• Apprenticeship pathways designed around real operational needs

• Engineering and maintenance training for shop floor teams

• Safety-critical training, such as Lockout / Tagout (LOTO)

• Train the Trainer (TTT) delivery to build internal capability

NC Group’s First Ever Apprentices

A major milestone for us was the onboarding of three learners from 3M, who were our first-ever learners on an apprenticeship programme!

Our first-ever apprentices were James Graham, Joseph Birchall, and Harry Newrick, who all completed the Science Industry Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship, developing the technical skills and problem-solving mindset required in a high-performance manufacturing environment.

All achieved excellent results in their apprenticeships, with two achieving a distinction. All three are now key members of the 3M maintenance team, rotating across different areas of the site.

Gary Simon, Maintenance Apprentice Coordinator, James Graham, Joseph Birchall, and Harry Newrick, Maintenance Technicians, 3M, and Steve Harrison, NC Group Engineering Team Leader

The Red Bull Cart Challenge

As part of their apprenticeship journey, the apprentices participated in a Red Bull Cart Challenge, an engineering project for which they worked with apprentices from Webs, a furniture manufacturer in Nottingham.

The challenge took the form of an engineering project, requiring the apprentices to design, build, test, fault-find, and refine a working kart before racing it!

For maintenance apprentices in particular, the project reinforced the same cycle they experience daily in industry:

Design → Build → Test → Fault Find → Improve → Operate → Maintain

The fun challenge required technical skills, teamwork, effective communication and decision-making skills alongside the application of engineering principles.

Supporting the Next Generation of Engineering Apprentices at 3M

Today, NC Group continues to work in partnership with 3M. We are currently supporting two apprentices on the Level 3 Science Industry Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship, a four-year placement with 3M as part of a partnership arrangement.

These apprentices are developing the skills needed to become maintenance technicians, with learning closely aligned to the demands of a high-volume, high-quality, safety-critical manufacturing environment.

Alongside apprentice development, we continue to support the wider workforce at 3M with Lockout / Tagout, Train the Trainer, and bespoke mechanical and electrical engineering training programmes.

What Does an Engineering Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship Lead To?

When an Engineering Maintenance Technician completes their apprenticeship, they become one of the key individuals responsible for keeping production running safely, efficiently, and with minimal downtime. Their contribution is both technical and operational, supporting business-wide operations.

• Respond quickly to machine breakdowns to minimise lost output

• Diagnose faults and restore equipment to service

• Carry out routine inspections to prevent issues from escalating

• Reduce stoppages to help production lines consistently meet output targets

You can find out more about our Level 3 Engineering Maintenance Technician apprenticeship here.

The Value of Apprenticeships

The NC Group and 3M partnership demonstrates the long-term value of apprenticeships. By combining workplace challenges, engineering and manufacturing industry-led training and opportunities beyond the classroom, apprentices gain skills for life, while employers gain a skilled, confident, future-ready workforce.

We are proud to support the learner journey at 3M, and especially proud that 3M apprentices were the first-ever apprentices to train with NC Group. Their success helped shape our Ofsted Outstanding apprenticeship provision and set the standard for the engineering and manufacturing industry-led apprenticeship programmes we deliver today.

To explore our apprenticeship programmes, call 01388 737121 or email training@ncgroupltd.co.uk.