Military Construction Engineering Technician

Military Construction Engineering Technician

You’ll become a multi-skilled soldier, combat engineer, and tradesman on a military construction engineering technician apprenticeship course.

As an apprentice, you will have five distinct tasks that will all work together to prepare you for construction work in a military situation. Your development as a tradesperson will be aided by the military skills required of each soldier and gained before arrival, which will be supplemented by knowledge and skills in supervision and planning.

In addition, you may expect to work in challenging and occasionally hostile environments all around the globe. Soldiers must provide their construction skills in a continuously changing and potentially dangerous setting with little resources and help that differs from an industrial norm.

Because of the range of knowledge, skills, and behaviours they bring from their military experience, military servicemen and women are in high demand by civilian trade organisations.

What you’ll learn

On a military construction engineering technician apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

  • Carry out work following military standards established by the on-site military design team. All work must be of high quality and within budget.
  • Interpret information included in designs, specifications, schedules, method statements, risk assessments, manufacturer’s information, and construction industry rules.
  • Calculate the amount in proportion to the tools, resources, time, space, and waste related to the job at hand.
  • Undertake the fundamental project management procedure, which includes bidding for essential resources across extended logistic chains while minimising waste and completing all tasks within the time limit specified.
  • Conduct on-site supervision to guarantee job completion in a military (sometimes hostile) situation while preserving health, safety, and a safe working environment.
  • Cooperate with coworkers, allied troops, and outside authorities to fulfil local import/legislative criteria while operating in a foreign nation.
  • Plan the sequence of work in line with organisational processes, utilising appropriate resources, to ensure work is accomplished safely and efficiently.
  • Complete the essential papers to ensure compliance with local construction codes.
  • Oversee the safe preparation of resources for shipment by land, sea, or air, as well as the safe unloading of supplies via signals.
  • Develop protective shelters, including trench construction, while keeping in mind the relevant safety aspects of working below ground and constructing bridges to cross gaps of various sizes using existing improvised materials and prefabricated modular bridge components.
  • Use task-specific and tactically appropriate personal protection equipment.
  • Effectively communicate with the rest of the team and with management.
  • Choose the resources required to complete a work, including materials, components and fasteners, tools, equipment, and accessories.
  • Maintain a clean work environment by protecting the work and its surroundings while minimising harm.
  • Prepare wood and wood structures for use in engineering projects. 
  • Demonstrate compliance with supplied knowledge and applicable regulations regarding the safe use of access equipment, safe material handling, and the safe use and storage of materials, tools, equipment, and ancillaries.
  • Set up and operate cutting instruments such as circular, chop, mitre, bench, jig, reciprocating, alligator, and scroll saws securely.
  • Set up and utilise wood shaping equipment such as a thicknesser, sander (orbital, belt, disc), router, laminate trimmer, and grinder as directed.
  • Install the initial fixing components in the workplace according to the instructions, including frames (door and window), door linings, floor joist covers, and partitions (straight)
  • Construct field defences (such as trenches and sangers) with the appropriate wood reinforcing in frames and shuttering to reinforce the structure.
  • Produce timber shoring in unstable structures to make them safe for temporary habitation.
  • Set up regular-shaped constructions following specified brick, block, and local material working instructions.
  • Lay concrete following the operating instructions for concrete slabs/bases/foundations (footing, oversites, or pathways), create slab edging, and place reinforcing.
  • According to work instructions, apply water-borne and/or solvent-borne coatings to interior and/or exterior surfaces for industrial and/or non-industrial circumstances, by brush and/or roller, for linear/trim/narrow runs and wide regions.
  • Store supplies, tools, and equipment in a secure location while applying paint systems with a brush and/or roller, prepping backdrop surfaces for plastering, tiling, panelling, or painting/decorating, and tiling wall and floor surfaces.
  • Prepare backdrop surfaces for plastering, tiling, panelling, or painting and decorating in the workplace.
  • Prepare new or existing background surfaces for plastering and/or tiling and/or panelling and/or painting/decorating following given working instructions for previously plastered, tiled, panelled, or painted/decorated surfaces, brick, block, concrete, render, or plaster, manufactured board, wood, metal
  • Fix tiles to vertical, horizontal, and inclined surfaces following the operating instructions on the wall and floor surfaces, reveals, sills and soffits (door and/or windows), floor drains and outlets, and the installation of required accessories.
  • Install a sink, washbasin, and bath, as well as a close-coupled toilet and cold water cistern, bowl urinal, and trough urinal, as well as a boosted shower system and shower tray, and then link the shower, toilet, urinal, sink/basin, and bath to a main ventilated stack system.
  • Check, test, and commission sanitation appliances and diagnose and repair sanitation appliance, gravity shower unit, and pumped shower unit issues.
  • Install an electric shower, perform electrical duties, and connect the electric shower to the power supply
  • Install piping made of copper, steel, and plastic, as well as a radiator.
  • Obtain supplies and consumables for the work and choose, examine, and safely operate hand tools/equipment and power tools.
  • Cut the copper tubing to the desired length.
  • Bring together copper tubes, plastic pipes, and low carbon steel pipe.
  • Combine a frame made of copper, plastic, and low carbon steel.
  • Perform pre-start and post-start inspections, stopping and closing procedures, and wheel changing practices on all vehicles to be operated by Military Engineering Construction Technician Plant Operator Mechanic, as well as periodic servicing and lubrication of all ancillaries.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

  • All soldiers entering one of the three options must have completed phase 1 basic military training and phase 2A combat engineering training.
  • Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment consists of three distinct assessment methods: 

  • Knowledge test
  •  Interview 
  • Practical assessment with questioning

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

  • Duration: 18 months
  • Level: 3 – Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Relevant school subjects: Science and DT
  • Potential salary upon completion: £20,000 per annum

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 3 Military Construction Engineering Technician Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.

Updated on January 25, 2024

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