Apprentice Engineer

Location:  Bolton
Function:  Manufacturing
Job Reference:  7448
Employment Type:  Apprenticeship
Closing Date:  30/01/2026
Date:  4 Nov 2025

Starting Salary of £21,500 per annum, increasing each year, tuition and accommodation fees paid.

Engineers aren’t born, they’re bread, and we’re gearing up to welcome applications for our 2026 Engineering Apprentices to join our family based in our Bolton Bakery.  We are looking for our new Apprentices to have a passion for engineering and to be available to join the family in August 2026.

Your first year will be spent attending a full-time residential course with our national training provider, Midland Group Training Services, based in Coventry. Accommodation will be provided in newly built Student accommodation, which is only a short walk from the training facility and will be funded as part of the course. For more information on MGTS click: www.mgts.co.uk , to view the accommodation, click: Gulson gardens student accommodation.

The Recipe

Our Engineering Apprenticeship will take you on a journey of learning and development over the next 4 years. We will take care of your tuition fees as well as pay you for your hard work. There's no reason to worry about student debt, we've got your bread & butter sorted, all we knead is for you to use your loaf and apply!  

As ‘the UK’s No. 1 Bakery Brand’, we have been baking bread since 1876. Today, we are proudly a fifth-generation family, with the introduction of the sixth generation, supplying over 18,000 retail customers from 11 bakeries and 16 depots, producing a range of over 70 products, including gluten and wheat-free. Family and values are what make us different, and we are a proud bunch. Join us and you too could be proud to be Warburtons.

The Apprenticeship programme gives YOU the development and skill set you need for us to shape our future together.

We are inviting Apprenticeship applications NOW in readiness for our selection events in March 2026.

Key Accountabilities and Measures

Our Apprenticeship provides the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for the role of a multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer. These include performing plant maintenance and conducting failure diagnosis, maintenance, repair, and replacement of our highly automated control systems, mechanical, electrical, and production systems, along with learning about food and safety legislation.

Typical things you can expect are:

  • A structured 4-year Apprenticeship Programme
  • Varied learning through a mixture of on-the-job training with your own Warburtons mentor and working with our training provider (MGTS)
  • An apprenticeship that equips you to become a Multi-Skilled Maintenance Engineer
  • A varied programme that involves, electrical, mechanical and control engineering
  • Learning to fault find and fix mechanical and electrical components, including making and suggesting improvements.

At the successful completion of your Apprenticeship, you'll have achieved your BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, and you’ll be ready to start your career as a qualified Multi Skilled Engineer with us. This route is just the start of your career and can open the door to many more opportunities, such as Engineering Management and Project Engineering positions at the site or being involved with continuous improvement projects in the head office.

Essential Ingredients

To join our Apprenticeship programme, you'll need the following:

    • You’ll be 18 years or over by the 1st September 2026 due to the residential requirement of the first year of study
    • Achieved 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) to include a Level 5 or above in Maths, a Level 4 or above in English, and a Level 4 or above in either science or ICT.
    • Able to be flexible around work patterns, including shifts, weekends, and evenings (from year 3 onwards)
    • You'll have excellent analytical skills and enjoy problem-solving with a logical and structured approach
    • Passion, drive, and commitment to complete a 4-year apprenticeship with a genuine interest in Engineering
    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Extra Dough

Last, but by no means yeast, you’ll want to know what your breads worth

  • A recognised development path and qualification to kick-start your career
  • £21,500 starting salary, rising each year of your Apprenticeship 
  • Family time is important to us, so we’ll start you on 25 days of paid holiday per year
  • Life assurance
  • New starter goodie box to welcome you to the family
  • Being part of a national team of Apprentices, supporting each other
  • A dedicated mentor throughout your Apprenticeship
  • Continued development & 121 training designed especially for you
  • Working on sites with state-of-the-art technology, automation, and new product development
  • Site social events, charity days, and wellbeing initiatives
  • Award-winning contributory pension scheme
  • Discounted Gym Membership
  • Retail Vouchers & online shopping offers, including Warburtons' discounted products
  • Support for your health and wellbeing, including 24/7 access to a confidential helpline for practical advice and a comprehensive occupational health service


If you’re looking to kick-start your career within a supportive, industry-leading family business that puts our people at the heart of it, then the journey starts here.

Key Dates

December 2025 applications will close - to avoid disappointment, we strongly advise you to apply now!

January 2026 successful candidates will be notified by email.

We will aim to hold selection Events during March 2026.

If successful, you will receive your offer of employment in March / April 2026

Employment will commence mid to late August 2026