APPRENTICES AND TRAINEE ENGINEERS

We’re looking to find better, more efficient and affordable ways of producing energy and need the next generation of apprentices and trainees to help us do this. 

Whether you’re at the beginning of your career journey or looking to take a new direction from the path you’re currently on, our apprenticeship and trainee programmes are open to all and offer a chance to earn money while you earn an accredited qualification.

Are you ready to kickstart your career with an SSE Apprenticeship or Trainee Engineering Programme?

Apply now

There are no minimum entry requirements for apprentices

Over 1700 people have come through our Apprenticeship programmes since 2010. As we move in to a new decade, we’re taking a brand-new approach. No more grades, no more entry requirements.

We’re looking for Apprentices who can demonstrate the seven key strengths we know they'll need to be successful: Drive, Ownership, Resilience, Learning Agility, Safety, Social Adaptability and Collaboration. It’s as simple as that.

Deciding the best route to take can be daunting. We’ve outlined exactly what you can expect from each opportunity.  Our Apprenticeship Programmes typically last three to four years.

Electrical 

You’ll be taught how to safely isolate various electrical systems of work and install various types of electrical containment. This could involve rewiring lights to dealing with a full electrical outage of power. The type of work involved means that you must be comfortable with working at height.

Fitter 

An Electrical Fitter is responsible for the maintenance, testing and repair of plant and equipment of the electricity network. You’ll learn how to safely install and maintain high voltage switchgear, transformers and control equipment.

Multi-Craft

Multi-Craft means multi-skilled. If you’re working within our Distribution business, there will be a combination of Linesperson and Jointer duties. In Renewables there will be Mechanical and Electrical Engineering positions. This apprenticeship typically takes four years to complete.

Jointer 

A Cable Jointer works on underground electricity cables. It involves the excavation, installation, identification, jointing and connection of electricity cables.

Mechanical 

Your work will range from installing boilers, pumps, isolating valves and radiators together with maintenance and remedial work. Within this role you’ll be taught how to cut, measure and install pipe work of various sizes with materials including steel, plastic and copper.

Lines 

A Linesperson works on the overhead network and pole mounted equipment. In other words, you’ll be up high. You’ll be trained to work safely with technical equipment as part of a maintenance programme.

Tree Cutter

Our Tree Cutters clear trees & vegetation away from the distribution network.  You can choose to work at height or as a climber or to cut from the ground. You’ll be trained to work safely with power tools and learn about trees and electricity.

Digital

As part of our ongoing quest for talent, we are looking for Information Managers, Data Analyst and Data Scientists. With your help, our aim is to optimise the networks that will deliver decarbonisation of heat and transport through smart data.

Control & Instrumentation

Instrumentation has a wide scope – on a day-to-day operational basis can expect to be involved in fault finding activities, chemical instrumentation checks, gas detection & communications (site-wide and control system).  

Meet our Apprentices

Emily Smith
Data Analyst Apprentice

‘I am a data analyst apprentice at SSE. Prior to working with SSE, I completed a masters at the University of Bristol in Policy Research. During this time, I carried out data analysis with the aim of providing policy recommendations. This course inspired my choice of career progression. 

Currently, I am learning to code in Python as part of a college course and I implement what I am taught to produce data analysis for an innovation project at SSE. I work alongside the Oxfordshire Projects – Project LEO and TRANSITION – which are exploring how flexibility services may assist local communities and the electricity network. On a day-to-day basis, I attend team calls and contribute towards the service design and trial management. I am specifically interested in the design of any data outputs (for instance, CSV files containing data about market behaviour) that can be used as part of the data analysis work I am responsible for producing. For example, I am responsible for producing code that can quantify the liquidity present in a marketplace for flexibility services. Data taken from the marketplace in the form of the data outputs are used to produce this code.'

Lauren McLeod
Graduate IT Apprentice

“I’m a graduate apprentice studying IT with business management at Dundee University. I attend university one day a week and I am working within the OT department the rest of my week gaining the relevant experience. I have placements for the first 2 years of my apprenticeship with different business areas within OT before settling down with my “home” placement that is Real Time Systems for the last 2 years.

The aim is to complete my degree and become a permanent member of the RTS team as a support engineer. My role as a support engineer is to mainly provide support for the distribution control rooms within SSE.

I previously worked in the oil and gas sector in a practical and hands on role offshore. I applied for this role as I wanted to work within a more inclusive industry for a company that is aiming for net zero. It is worth noting that although I had experience within the energy sector, I have come into this computing based role essentially blind but I have received all the support I needed from my colleagues to help me succeed.

SSE also offers the flexibility first approach to working which I thoroughly enjoy given that I have quite a long commute to get to work it is good to have the ability to work from home when I need.”

SSE Trainee Engineering Programme 

Our Trainee Engineers have a unique opportunity to combine work-based learning whilst studying towards an HNC in Electrical Engineering or a HND in Energy and Environmental Engineering, depending on the business area they work in. They undertake various work placements to put newly-learned knowledge into practice, gaining practical, hands-on experience. If you’re applying for a trainee position, you’ll need a minimum of Maths and Science (preferably Physics) at A2 Level (grade A-C) or in Scotland SQA Highers level (grade A-B). Alternatively, we will accept an equivalent qualification in a relevant Engineering subject, at a minimum of HNC level.

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