Description
Location: Unit 3, Navigation Park, Lockside Rd, Leeds LS10 1EP
Expected Start Date: September 2026
Working for Mitsubishi Power EMEA
Mitsubishi Power EMEA is part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), a global engineering and technology group with more than 100 years of experience. The company supports customers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa through advanced power generation technologies and energy solutions, helping to meet the changing demands of the energy sector.
As a Materials Scientist Apprentice, you'll join the Materials Laboratory team at Mitsubishi Power's Leeds facility. The laboratory plays an important role in supporting the long-term performance and integrity of gas and steam turbine assets, carrying out materials testing, investigations and engineering assessments that support a wide range of engineering activities. Working alongside experienced engineers and laboratory specialists, you'll gain hands-on experience while developing the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to build a career in materials science and engineering.
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The Package
Starting Salary: ÂŁ23,000 per year
Annual Leave: 20 days plus bank holidays and Christmas shutdown
Working Hours: 35 hours per week
Benefits include:
* Company pension scheme
* Life insurance
* Healthcare benefits
* Regular training and CPD opportunities
Key Responsibilities
We are pleased to offer an opportunity for a Materials Scientist Apprentice to join the team to support day-to-day laboratory activities and provide technical assistance to support a wide range of engineering projects.
This apprenticeship provides a strong foundation for a future career in materials science, offering opportunities to develop a broad range of technical and scientific skills in a supportive environment:
* Learn how to prepare material samples for testing and examination using specialist laboratory equipment.
* Gain hands-on experience carrying out inspections and testing to assess the condition and performance of materials.
* Learn how microscopes and other specialist equipment are used to examine materials and investigate defects.
* Support laboratory investigations and materials assessments alongside experienced Materials Engineers.
* Assist with mechanical testing activities and learn how test results are used to support engineering projects.
* Help prepare technical reports and accurately record laboratory findings and test results.
* Work alongside Materials Engineers on projects relating to gas and steam turbine components.
* Support day-to-day laboratory operations, including sample logging, stock control and maintaining laboratory equipment.
* Learn how materials testing and analysis support engineering activities within the business.
* Develop an understanding of health, safety and quality standards within a professional laboratory environment.
About You
You’re naturally curious about materials and how they perform in real-world conditions. You’re interested in understanding why materials behave the way they do, whether that’s how they respond to stress, temperature or environmental factors, or why they sometimes fail or degrade over time.
You enjoy hands-on work and are comfortable carrying out physical testing, preparing samples and working with equipment to assess properties such as strength, durability or corrosion. You take a methodical approach, following technical standards and procedures carefully, and pay close attention to detail to ensure your results are accurate and reliable. You’re proactive in your approach, taking the initiative to ask questions, seek out learning opportunities and get involved in a wide range of activities across the laboratory.
You think analytically and enjoy interpreting data, linking your findings back to real-world performance and engineering outcomes. You’re confident working with measurements, calculations and reports, and can communicate your results clearly to others. You value teamwork, accountability and integrity, while remaining open to new ideas and different perspectives. Motivated to build expertise, you’re interested in developing your skills in materials testing and analysis, contributing to engineering projects while building a long-term career in materials science.
Apprenticeship Eligibility
To apply for this apprenticeship, you must:
✔️ Be 16 or over
✔️ Not be in full-time education
✔️ Have lived in the UK for at least 3 years
✔️ Have the right to work in the UK
As this is a Level 6 Materials Degree apprenticeship, you’ll also need:
* An A-Level in Physics/Engineering (Grade C or above)
OR
* A level 3 qualification such as a T-Level or BTEC Extended Diploma in a Science related subject
It would also be beneficial for your application if you had relevant work experience in a related field.
Apprenticeships are designed to provide new knowledge, skills and behaviours, so applicants should not already hold a degree or higher qualification in a closely related subject, or have significant experience in the same field.
If you’re unsure whether you meet the criteria, we’d still love to hear from you - get in touch and we can advise you further.
So how does the apprenticeship work?
Start your career as a laboratory scientist and gain hands-on experience working with materials in a real laboratory or technical environment while working towards a recognised degree.
As part of this Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprenticeship in Materials, you’ll develop the skills to test and analyse materials, investigate performance and failure, and contribute to product development, manufacturing, and innovation.
This programme gives you the best of both worlds - you’ll combine academic study with practical, on-the-job experience, building the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours needed to succeed in the materials science and engineering sector.
👉 Learn more about the programme here.
Over the course of the programme, you’ll combine your day-to-day role with structured training delivered by expert tutors at Tiro, in partnership with Middlesex University. Our blended learning approach includes a mix of online sessions, in-person teaching, and hands-on support, alongside guidance from a dedicated mentor in the workplace.
In the final stage of the programme, you’ll focus on preparing for your End Point Assessment, ensuring you’re ready to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and behaviours in a real-world context.
What your training will look like: You’ll follow a structured programme combining live sessions, online learning, and hands-on workplace training to build your skills step by step.
What could your future look like?
This apprenticeship will help you build the skills and experience needed to progress as a laboratory scientist within the materials and manufacturing sector.
Through practical experience and academic study, you’ll develop the confidence to carry out materials testing, analyse performance, and investigate failures. You’ll contribute to improving products and processes while ensuring high standards of quality, safety, and scientific integrity. This programme can also support professional recognition, such as becoming a Registered Scientist (RSci) or Chartered Scientist (CSci).
You’ll gain experience that’s highly valued across a wide range of technical and industrial environments, opening up opportunities to specialise and progress within materials science, manufacturing, and engineering roles.
If you choose to continue your development, this programme provides a strong foundation for further academic study or progression into senior technical, scientific, and leadership roles.
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.