Description
Location: Unit 5a, New Cut Ln, Woolston, Warrington WA1 4AG
Working for Plastic Closures Ltd
Plastic Closures Ltd is a leading manufacturer of high-quality plastic closure solutions, supporting customers across the packaging, food and drink, pharmaceutical, and industrial sectors. With decades of manufacturing expertise, the business has built a strong reputation for reliability, technical excellence, and customer-focused innovation.
Through continuous investment in modern production, tooling, and quality systems, Plastic Closures Ltd delivers a comprehensive range of caps, closures, and bespoke packaging components. From standard designs to fully tailored solutions, every product is developed to meet demanding performance, safety, and regulatory standards.
By working closely with customers, suppliers, and industry partners, Plastic Closures Ltd provides dependable packaging solutions that enhance product integrity, efficiency, and sustainability across the supply chain in the UK and international markets.
To find out more about the company, click the link below:
🔗 About Plastic Closures
The Package
* Starting salary: £19,500 to £23,810 per year
* Monday - Friday, 37.5 hours per week
* 8:00am - 4:00pm
* 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
* Company pension
What will I be doing as a Plastic Processing Technician Apprentice?
As a Plastic Processing Technician Apprentice at Plastic Closures Ltd, you’ll play a key role in supporting the safe, efficient and high-quality production of injection-moulded components. Working alongside experienced technicians, you’ll gain hands-on experience in polymer processing, tooling, machine operation and quality control, while contributing to continuous improvement, safety, and operational excellence across the factory.
Key responsibilities will include:
* Assisting with the safe installation, changeover and clamping of injection tooling, following strict procedures and using lifting equipment and overhead cranes correctly.
* Supporting machine and tool maintenance through cleaning, inspection, greasing and preventative maintenance, working under the guidance of senior setters.
* Monitoring and maintaining production standards, including tool faces and gas vents, and completing colour, material and tool changes in line with schedules and procedures.
* Ensuring all production, quality, safety and traceability documentation is completed accurately, including paperwork for tool changeovers and process controls.
* Maintaining high standards of safety, hygiene and housekeeping in line with company procedures, 5S principles and BRC requirements.
* Developing technical knowledge of polymers, including their properties, processing parameters, limitations and behaviour, and applying this understanding in day-to-day operations.
* Contributing to continuous improvement by attending shop floor meetings, supporting process control, and taking part in ongoing training and development activities.
This apprenticeship offers hands-on training in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, helping you build a strong foundation in plastic processing, tooling and production operations. You’ll develop practical skills, technical understanding and a safety-first mindset, preparing you for long-term progression within manufacturing and engineering at Plastic Closures Ltd.
What could the future look like?
There’s no limit to what you can achieve while working with Plastic Closures Ltd. Their team is at the heart of what they do, and they are looking for someone who wants to play a key part in that long term. As a successful applicant, you have the potential to secure a full-time position with the business at the end of your apprenticeship.
Through practical ‘on-the-job’ training, you’ll develop the skills and knowledge needed to become a competent Polymer Processing Operative, gaining expertise in polymer materials, processing techniques, and quality assurance. This apprenticeship provides a solid foundation for a future in polymer processing, helping to ensure the efficiency, quality, and sustainability of manufacturing operations.
This apprenticeship also offers opportunities for professional growth, allowing you to take on more specialised technical roles or progress into leadership positions within the company.
Skills, Knowledge, and Experience
About You
This is a practical, hands-on manufacturing role, so you’ll need to be comfortable working on the shop floor, supporting machine operations, tooling, and production processes.
We’re looking for someone who can balance accuracy with working at pace. You should be able to follow technical procedures carefully, carry out tasks such as tool changes, cleaning and inspections correctly, and still keep production moving safely and efficiently. You’ll be motivated, proactive and ready to adapt when priorities or schedules change.
You’ll have strong health and safety awareness and be confident working to strict safety, hygiene and operational standards, including machinery procedures, 5S and site cleanliness requirements.
Clear communication is essential—knowing when to ask for guidance, report issues, complete documentation properly and work with others to resolve problems on the shop floor.
To succeed in this apprenticeship, you’ll bring enthusiasm, reliability, a willingness to learn, and a strong commitment to working safely, accurately and to the highest production standards while building your technical skills in plastic processing.
Experience
We value attitude, curiosity, and commitment just as much as past experience. While previous experience can be helpful, it’s not essential — we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, especially those with a genuine interest in the field and the motivation to build a career.
You might be a school or college leaver, or someone looking to retrain. Either way, if you’re enthusiastic, proactive, and ready to learn, you’ll fit right in.
Qualifications
It’s about enthusiasm, not school results. In our experience the most successful apprentices are those who are driven to find out more about the sector, can be up front about what they do and don’t already know, are considerate, self-reflective, and impatient to learn the job role!
So how does the apprenticeship work?
Over 24 months, you’ll devote a minimum of 6 hours of your working week on ‘off the job’ training. This can include theory training (for example, virtual lessons & online learning), alongside practical training (for example shadowing, mentoring, & time spent writing assignments.
Together this will count towards a Level 3 Polymer Processing Technician apprenticeship. You’ll be trained by an expert tutor from Tiro as well as an experienced mentor at Plastic Closures Ltd who together, will make sure you develop the knowledge, skills, and work habits you’ll need to succeed in your career.
Being an apprentice is hands-on, so you’ll get the chance to learn things you might otherwise not have experienced in a university or college environment.
The best part? You’ll be earning a salary while you gain your qualifications, meaning no huge student loans to pay back at the end of the programme!
Eligibility
While we never want to hinder your job application process with obstacles, there are some minimum requirements you’ll need to meet in order to do an apprenticeship, these are rules set by the UK Government.
As a training provider, we are committed to ensuring that our apprenticeship programs deliver significant new knowledge and skills. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that the program will provide learning and experiences beyond their current qualifications and professional expertise.
If you already hold a Level 3, degree or equivalent higher-level qualification in a closely related field, or possess substantial relevant experience, you may not be eligible for apprenticeship funding, as these programmes are designed for individuals who require upskilling or reskilling in their chosen career pathway.
You’ll need to be over 16, not in full time education, have lived in the UK for 3 years and have the right to work in the UK.
If you don’t quite meet these minimum requirements yet, let us know you’re interested here and we’ll get in touch to discuss this further with you.
We’re Tiro (pronounced Tea-ro — white, two sugars).
In Latin, it means novice, recruit, apprentice, beginner, and soldier — the perfect name for a company that’s been helping fearless apprentices join ambitious businesses since 2005.
We believe great apprenticeships help everyone. There are remarkable apprentices out there just waiting to be found, and fantastic employers waiting to nurture them.
We’re proud to help connect the two — supporting industries that make, test, and innovate; from polymer manufacturing and materials science to sustainable engineering and advanced technology.
At Tiro, we make great things happen for people.
And that starts with you.