SDS-approved • Nationally recognised • Fully funded from August 2026
Glasgow Kelvin College is delighted to announce the launch of SDS-approved Modern Apprenticeships in Engineering from August 2026.
This significant development forms part of the College’s new Engineering strategy and provides employers with a structured, work-based training route for engineering technicians, combining academic study with practical, competence-based assessment.
With SQA approval secured and funding in place from Skills Development Scotland (SDS), we are now recruiting an initial intake of approximately 20–25 apprentices for August 2026.
This page outlines the pathways available, how the apprenticeship is delivered, the benefits for employers and apprentices, and how to register your interest.
With pathways in Asset Lifecycle & Maintenance, Manufacturing & Fabrication, and Engineering Technical Support, businesses can grow talent in a way that works for them
Listen to Peter Brown, our Assistant Principal of Apprenticeship, Skills and Curriculum, talking about our new MA pathway.
👉 You can also download our Modern Apprenticeships in Engineering brochure
For employers considering day-release HNC study, the Modern Apprenticeship route includes the HNC qualification and goes further by adding workplace competence and national apprenticeship certification — and is fully funded (subject to available places).
From August 2026, Glasgow Kelvin College can deliver the following Engineering Modern Apprenticeship pathways:
| Pathway | SCQF Level | Link to SDS Framework |
| Engineering Asset Lifecycle and Maintenance | 7 | View Framework |
| Engineering Manufacturing and Fabrication | 7 | View Framework |
| Engineering Technical Support | 7 | View Framework |
NC and HNC qualifications within the MA
As part of the Modern Apprenticeship, we can deliver NC and HNC qualifications spanning SCQF Levels 5 to 7 in:
Tailored to employer needs
This flexibility allows the apprenticeship to be tailored to employer requirements and aligned to the apprentice’s job role and sector.
Traditionally, engineering technicians have completed an NC or HNC which, while valuable, does not formally recognise workplace competence. The Modern Apprenticeship route addresses this gap by recognising both study and real workplace performance.
Benefits For Employers
Benefits For Apprentices
Ready to explore this opportunity and see how this Modern Apprenticeship could support your workforce development, complete the form below and our Engineering team will contact you.
If you are currently undertaking an apprenticeship and would like guidance on your rights and responsibilities, visit our Know your rights as an apprentice page.
Peter: Hi there, I'm Peter Brown and I'm assistant principal here at Glasgow Kelvin College.
We've got a brand new modern apprenticeship and engineering that we think is innovative, practical, for your business and maximises the potential of your workforce. Come with me and I'll show you what it's all about.
The apprenticeship has three pathways you can choose from depending on the needs of your business and your workforce: Asset Life Cycle and Maintenance, Manufacturing Fabrication and Engineering Technical Support
The engineering apprenticeship itself has three component parts the academic portion of it which is made up of an NC or HNC we offer four disciplines: Engineering Practice, Building Services Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering
The second part of it is the PEO which stands for Performing Engineering Operations. This is the practical skills part of the MA. Hand skills and mechanical engineering, electrical wiring skills and CAD amongst many more.
Companies that have staff that haven't been through a formal apprenticeship but have been with the company for a number of years, we also have the recognised prior learning route. Students can be considered to have that experience and prior learning recognised as part of the apprenticeship, which allows it to be accelerated to as quickly as two years.
The third and final part of the apprenticeship is the direction, which is either Asset Lifecycle and Maintenance, Manufacturing Fabrication, or Engineering Technical Support.
Let me show you some of the practical skills that apprentice Ben is learning in the mechanical engineering workshop.
Ben: I'm making a brass cap. You can see it's quite rough, but we're going to have to take that down.
Peter: This is our building services engineering workshop, designed to be multidisciplinary in nature.
You can see behind me, we have a number of panels that support electrical wiring. We'll see that the workshop has been set up to build basic hand skills in building services engineering, such as pipework systems.
At the top again, we have our plant room, which has pumped systems, boiler systems, electrical control systems, and all these elements can be included within the apprenticeship.
During the PEO component, employers have the flexibility to choose selected units. They can go down purely a mechanical pathway, they can go down purely an electrical pathway, or they can take a multidisciplinary approach.
David: Hi, my name's David. Back in 2013, I started my apprenticeship in this exact workshop
Since then I've been working on boilers, air source heat pumps, air handling units. Decided two years ago to come back and do the follow-on course to get a bit of understanding on how things work. You can go into buildings and you can see why they're designed the way they're designed.
Peter: Let's head on to our CAD lab. We're about to see one of our students, Lisa, who's demonstrating the skills that she's learned to produce a 3D model of a plant room system that she's been working on in her workplace.
Lisa: It is a plant room, a buffer vessel. These are your heat pumps. Feed the full building. Lightwork comes away from it and feeds the full building.
Peter: If you like the sound of this engineering apprenticeship then please get in touch with our apprenticeship and skills team
