Description
Location: Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9QF
Start Date: September 2026
Working for Breedon
From our quarries and plants, we create the materials that shape the world around us - and we’re looking for people who’ll shape the future with us. Our apprentices don’t just learn a job. They build real skills, gain real experience, and play a real part in building the environment we all live in.
Whether you’re a student, school leaver, or ready for a fresh start, we’ll help you make it something to remember.
You’ll grow real skills, gain hands-on experience, and build a career doing work you can be proud of.
If you like rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in, you’ll feel right at home here.
🔗 About Breedon
🌐 Early Careers page
The Package
* Starting salary of £21,257.60 - £23,316.80 per year (depending on age)
* 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
* 40 hours per week
* Monday to Friday
What will I be doing as an apprentice?
Have you always had that knack for practical, hands-on tasks? Did childhood hobbies see you taking an interest in chemistry classes, experimenting with materials, and always been curious about how things are made and why things work?
If so, perhaps working as a Technician in a Concrete Plant is your career call. Earn as you learn, combining college study for a Level 3 in Laboratory Material Testing, with industry experience at the largest independent construction materials group in the UK.
Breedon is a home for inquisitive learners. Quarries, cement, and construction are no longer old-fashioned sectors. We’re providing the foundation for our lives, building the places where we live and work, play and in-between.
Job responsibilities:
* You’ll support the vital testing and product compliance sampling for the asphalt we produce.
* Collate and manage data, producing reports of non-conforming material and looking at resolutions.
* Developing an understanding, knowledge and practical methods used to examine materials, including non-destructive testing (NDT).
* Liaise with customers and peers to grow your knowledge within the asphalt industry.
If you’re one to tiptoe around puddles with trepidation, maybe this role isn’t for you. You won’t be spending every day in a clean, corporate office swivelling on an office chair! If you have a natural affinity with the great outdoors, in all weathers, then now we’re talking!
What could the future look like?
When you join Breedon, the possibilities for your success are limitless. As a successful applicant, you have the potential to secure a full-time position within the company at the conclusion of your apprenticeship.
Through practical, on-the-job training, you will develop new skills and gain the competence and responsibility required for materials testing and analysis. This apprenticeship serves as a stepping stone towards a rewarding career in materials science, with the added opportunity for the apprentice to become a registered Science Technician (RSci Tech).
This programme opens up a variety of career pathways across industries including construction materials, civil engineering, geotechnical investigation, environmental consultancy, and infrastructure development, ensuring your materials science skills are in demand across multiple sectors.
This apprenticeship can also help pave the way for further educational and professional advancement. You may choose to pursue higher-level qualifications through one of our Degree Apprenticeships such as a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Applied Materials Science.
Skills, Knowledge, and Experience
About You
You will enjoy working in a practical environment and have a keen eye for detail, with a natural curiosity about how things work.
You will be willing to learn, confident in asking questions, and take pride in following processes accurately and safely.
You will also be comfortable using technology as part of your day-to-day work, and, most importantly, you will be motivated, reliable, and ready to develop your skills and knowledge.
Please note: due to nature of the role, a manual driving license and access to your own car is required.
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?
At Tiro we’re obsessed with changing lives through science and technology apprenticeships so we can’t wait to have you on board.
Over 18 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 Materials Technician apprenticeship. You’ll be trained by an expert tutor from Tiro as well as an experienced mentor at Holcim 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.