Engineering maintenance technician - dual discipline - Electrical and control and instrumentation engineering maintenance technician / Skills England

Key information

Reference: OCC1443A
Date updated: 14/07/2025
Level: 3
Route: Engineering and manufacturing
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

Engineering maintenance technicians work in a range of industries that use plant - machinery, apparatus and fixtures - and equipment. This includes energy, leisure entertainment, manufacturing, processing, and utilities companies. The working environments vary across the industries.

This is a core and options apprenticeship. An apprentice must be trained and assessed against the core and one option. The options are:

electrical and control and instrumentation technician
electrical and mechanical maintenance technician

Electrical and control and instrumentation maintenance technicians work covers electrical and control and instrumentation. For example, motors, single-phase and three-phase, power supplies, low voltage or high-voltage electrical distribution, programmable logic controllers, flow meters, heat exchangers and safety controls.

Electrical and mechanical maintenance technicians work covers electrical and mechanical. For example, motors, single-phase and three-phase, power supplies, and low voltage or high-voltage electrical distribution, actuators, fans, pumps, valves, gearboxes, and pipework.

Engineering maintenance technicians maintain plant and equipment to optimise operation. They conduct planned and preventative maintenance to prevent issues occurring and reactive maintenance when problems occur. For example, responding to breakdowns. They must prepare for and accept jobs, complete work safely to required standards, close the job, and complete work records. They also contribute to continuous improvement activities. They may complete work as part of a team or alone, depending on the task.

Daily, they interact with other maintenance technicians, engineers, and support operatives. They also have contact with other internal and external stakeholders. This may include operations, managers, quality, research and development, and admin staff. They may also have contact with auditors, regulators, and customers undertaking site visits. They typically report to an experienced maintenance engineer.

They must maintain the safe and reliable operation of plant and equipment. Work must comply with any industry specific regulations. Safety is a key priority. They must comply with health, safety, and environmental regulations and procedures and sustainability practices. They must complete tasks in line with their company’s procedures and timescales. They also must also take account of business operation considerations such as cost and service level agreements.

Typical job titles include:

Control, instrumentation and automation technician Electrical and instrumentation craftsperson Electrical and instrumentation technician Electrical and mechanical maintenance craftsperson Electrical and mechanical maintenance technician Engineering maintenance technician Engineering technician Maintenance and operations engineering technician Maintenance engineering technician Maintenance technician

Core occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Maintain and promote work site health, safety, and environmental compliance. For example, conduct risk assessments and follow emergency procedures.	K3 K8 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K24 K29 K30 K31 S6 S7 S8 S9 S11 S12 S16 S17 S18 S19 S24 B1 B2
Duty 2 Liaise with stakeholders on maintenance work. For example, pre-job briefings, to plan work, to co-ordinate work with other maintenance disciplines, and to provide technical and regulatory advice.	K2 K3 K4 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 S2 S4 S18 S19 S20 S24 B3 B4
Duty 3 Prepare for engineering maintenance work. For example, organise resources, obtain supplies of consumables, and order parts.	K1 K3 K4 K5 K7 K17 K18 K29 K30 K31 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S13 S16 S18 S19 S24 B3
Duty 4 Review requirements and accept job. For example, accept safe system of work or permit for work.	K3 K29 K30 K31 S18 S19 S24
Duty 5 Ensure work meets regulatory, industry, and company quality standards.	K3 K6 K9 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K29 K30 K31 S1 S10 S14 S15 S16 S18 S19 S20 S24
Duty 6 Conduct post job close out. For example, sign-off job, handover engineering plant and equipment.	K3 K29 K30 K31 S18 S19 S24
Duty 7 Complete engineering maintenance records to company requirements. For example, job reports, stock control records, and fault-finding reports.	K3 K12 K17 K25 K29 K30 K31 S13 S18 S19 S21 S22 S23 S24
Duty 8 Contribute to improvement activities. For example, support alternative ways of working to improve safety, reliability, sustainability, reduce cost, or drive efficiency. Complete continued professional development.	K3 K17 K26 K27 K29 K30 K31 K32 S18 S19 S24 S25 S26 B5

Option duties

Electrical and control and instrumentation engineering maintenance technician duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 9 Electrical and control and instrumentation. Conduct planned, preventative, and reactive maintenance on electrical aspects of plant, equipment, and systems; and on instrumentation and control aspects of plant, instrumentation and control equipment, and control systems including calibration.	K33 K34 K35 K36 K37 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 K55 K56 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43
Duty 10 Electrical and control and instrumentation. Conduct fault diagnosis and problem solving on electrical plant, equipment, and systems; and instrumentation and control equipment and control systems.	K33 K34 K35 K36 K37 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 K55 K56 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43
Duty 11 Electrical and control and instrumentation. Remove and replace electrical plant, equipment, and systems; and instrumentation and control equipment and control systems.	K33 K34 K35 K36 K37 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 K55 K56 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43
Duty 12 Electrical and control and instrumentation. Conduct inspection, examination, and testing of electrical plant, equipment, plant, and systems; and instrumentation and control equipment and control systems.	K33 K34 K35 K36 K37 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 K55 K56 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43
Duty 13 Electrical and control and instrumentation. Ensure availability and performance of electrical and instrumentation and control maintenance tools and equipment.	K33 K34 K35 K36 K37 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 K55 K56 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Sectors in which engineering maintenance takes place. Impact of sector on maintenance activities. Back to Duty

K2: Maintenance disciplines and functional areas and how they work together. Back to Duty

K3: Individual maintenance technician's roles and responsibilities. Escalation procedures. Back to Duty

K4: Business operation considerations: quality, cost, delivery, and ethical practices. Back to Duty

K5: Planning, prioritisation, organisation, and time management techniques. Back to Duty

K6: Equipment life cycle considerations. Back to Duty

K7: Maintenance strategies: planned preventative maintenance (PPM), condition-based maintenance (CBM), scheduled maintenance, total productive maintenance (TPM), breakdown and run to failure maintenance. Back to Duty

K8: Health and safety regulations – key features and impact on role: ATEX - safety requirements for workplaces and equipment used in explosive atmospheres, Control of Asbestos Regulations, Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR), Display Screen Equipment Regulations (DSE), Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA), Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), Management of Health and Safety at Work, Manual Handling Operations Regulations, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations, Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), Working at Height Regulations, Working in Confined Spaces Regulations, Workplace (health, safety, and welfare) Regulations. Back to Duty

K9: Work environment hazards and risks. Risk assessments. Back to Duty

K10: Safe systems of work. Back to Duty

K11: Personal protective equipment (PPE): selection, use, and care. Back to Duty

K12: Asset security requirements. Back to Duty

K13: Environmental regulations and standards – impact on role: Environmental Management Systems standard, Environmental Protection Act, and Hazardous Waste Regulations. Back to Duty

K14: The UK's net zero commitment. Principles of sustainability. Back to Duty

K15: Recycling and waste management requirements. Back to Duty

K16: Emergency incident and response procedures. Back to Duty

K17: Algebraic methods. Trigonometric methods and standard formulae to determine areas and volumes. Statistical methods to display data (mean, mode, median). Elementary calculus techniques: coefficient, gradient of a curve, rate of change. Back to Duty

K18: Properties of engineering materials and impact on use. Back to Duty

K19: Sources of engineering information. Back to Duty

K20: Engineering maintenance standards - British (BSI) and International (ISO). Back to Duty

K21: Engineering representations, sketches, drawings, and graphical information conventions. Back to Duty

K22: Quality management systems. Back to Duty

K23: Standard operating procedures (SOPs): what they are and why they are important. Back to Duty

K24: Foreign material exclusion requirements. Back to Duty

K25: Documentation requirements: documentation control, auditable records. Back to Duty

K26: Continuous improvement (CI) systems and techniques. Back to Duty

K27: Team working principles. Back to Duty

K28: Principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Back to Duty

K29: Verbal communication methods and techniques. Engineering maintenance terminology. Back to Duty

K30: Written communication techniques. Back to Duty

K31: Digital and information technology to support engineering maintenance. General data protection regulation (GDPR). Cyber security. Back to Duty

K32: Industry 4.0 - the integration of physical systems with internet connectivity and cloud computing: technologies, systems, and benefits. Back to Duty

K33: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Electricity at Work regulations. IET wiring regulations. Back to Duty

K34: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Electrical isolation and deisolation requirements: lockout tagout and testing for dead. Back to Duty

K35: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Principles of single phase and three-phase equipment, plant, and systems, the operation of motors and generators, and the use of monitoring and protection equipment. Back to Duty

K36: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Electrical engineering principles: circuit terminology, Ohm’s Law, transformer theory and power calculations. Back to Duty

K37: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Functions and applications of electrical circuits. Back to Duty

K38: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Types of diagrams used to represent circuits; symbols and abbreviations used to represent components in electrical schematics. Back to Duty

K39: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Different types of cables; their specifications and application. Back to Duty

K40: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Cable termination methods. Back to Duty

K41: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Electrical plant, equipment, and systems maintenance requirements: removing and replacing parts, inspecting, testing, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, and functional testing. Back to Duty

K42: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Electrical maintenance tools, measurement and test equipment application, operation, care and calibration requirements. Back to Duty

K43: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Common electrical plant, equipment, and systems failure modes. Back to Duty

K44: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Electrical fault-finding and rectification techniques; diagnostic equipment. Back to Duty

K45: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Problem solving and critical reasoning techniques. Back to Duty

K46: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Isolation and deisolation of connected services considerations and requirements. Back to Duty

K47: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Control and instrumentation engineering principles, terminology, and calculations. Back to Duty

K48: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Control and instrumentation equipment installation and connection requirements. Back to Duty

K49: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Operating principles of control and instrumentation devices: flow, level, pressure, and temperature instruments, analysers, transducers, transmitters, gauges, and pneumatics. Back to Duty

K50: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Open and closed loop systems. First and second order control systems. Proportional–integral–derivative controller (PID controller or three-term controller). Back to Duty

K51: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Functions and applications of control and instrumentation systems: programmable logic controller (PLC), Direct Digital Control (DDC), Distributed Control System (DCS), and Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA). Back to Duty

K52: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Types of control and instrumentation diagrams. Back to Duty

K53: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Control and instrumentation equipment and control systems maintenance requirements and methods: removing and replacing instruments and sensors, inspecting, testing, cleaning, setting up, calibration, and functional testing. Back to Duty

K54: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Control and instrumentation maintenance tools and equipment application, operation, care and calibration requirements. Back to Duty

K55: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Common control and instrumentation equipment and control system failure modes. Back to Duty

K56: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Control and instrumentation maintenance fault-finding and rectification techniques; diagnostic equipment. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Review and use information. For example, work instructions, drawings, design specifications, and plant configurations. Back to Duty

S2: Use planning, prioritising, organising, and time management techniques to plan tasks. Back to Duty

S3: Identify and organise resources to complete tasks. For example, consumables. Back to Duty

S4: Respond and adapt to work demands. For example, adapt working methods to reflect changes in working environment, re-prioritise workloads to react to breakdowns and fault scenarios. Back to Duty

S5: Identify equipment to work on. Check plant configuration is as defined. Back to Duty

S6: Prepare the work area for maintenance tasks. Back to Duty

S7: Identify environmental and health and safety hazards and risks and apply control measures. Back to Duty

S8: Apply health, safety, and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, signage and barriers, working at height, confined spaces, and COSHH. Back to Duty

S9: Follow security procedures. For example, site access, document classification, and securing assets. Back to Duty

S10: Follow emergency incident and response procedures. Back to Duty

S11: Apply sustainability principles. For example, minimising waste. Back to Duty

S12: Segregate items for reuse, recycling, and waste. Back to Duty

S13: Use mathematical principles and formulae to support engineering maintenance. Back to Duty

S14: Apply engineering maintenance standards and procedures. Back to Duty

S15: Apply foreign material exclusion procedures. Back to Duty

S16: Follow maintenance tools and equipment control procedures. For example, handling and storage. Back to Duty

S17: Reinstate the work area. Back to Duty

S18: Apply team working principles. Back to Duty

S19: Communicate with others to give and receive information. For example, colleagues, customers, and stakeholders. Back to Duty

S20: Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility. Back to Duty

S21: Record information. Back to Duty

S22: Produce or amend documents. For example, handover notes and reports. Back to Duty

S23: Identify and highlight issues (red pen), with technical drawings. Back to Duty

S24: Use digital and information technology. For example, databases, data sharing platforms, email, management information systems, and word processing. Follow cyber security and GDPR requirements. Back to Duty

S25: Apply continuous improvement techniques to identify improvement suggestions. Back to Duty

S26: Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities. Back to Duty

S27: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Confirm safe electrical isolation lockout tagout method has been applied and test for dead. Back to Duty

S28: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Select, check, and use electrical maintenance tools, measurement, and test equipment. Select, check, and use control and instrumentation maintenance tools, measurement, and test equipment. Back to Duty

S29: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Use electrical diagnostic equipment and apply fault finding and rectification techniques. Use control and instrumentation diagnostic equipment and apply fault finding and rectification techniques. Back to Duty

S30: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Apply problem solving and critical reasoning techniques. Back to Duty

S31: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Inspect and test electrical aspects of plant. For example, visual checks, insulation and continuity checks, thermographic surveys, and voltage levels. Back to Duty

S32: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Remove and replace electrical parts. Back to Duty

S33: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Prepare and terminate electrical cables. Back to Duty

S34: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Set up and adjust electrical aspects of plant. Back to Duty

S35: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Clean parts. For example, removal of dust and debris. Back to Duty

S36: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Conduct and confirm electrical and connected services isolation and deisolation. Back to Duty

S37: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Conduct functional testing. Back to Duty

S38: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Inspect and test control and instrumentation systems. Back to Duty

S39: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Check calibration and make adjustments. Back to Duty

S40: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Check loop function. Back to Duty

S41: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Set up and adjust control and instrumentation systems. Back to Duty

S42: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Remove and replace instruments and sensors. Back to Duty

S43: Electrical and control and instrumentation. Re-connect instrumentation power supply, cables, pipework, and services. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Prioritise safe working practices. For example, risk aware, minimise risks, and proactively work towards preventing accidents. Back to Duty

B2: Consider sustainability when using resources and carrying out tasks. Back to Duty

B3: Take ownership for the delivery and quality of own work. For example, self-motivated, disciplined in the approach to work tasks, and work carried out in line with standards. Back to Duty

B4: Team-focus to meet work goals and support inclusivity. For example, support others, show respect to others, and create and maintain productive working relationships. Back to Duty

B5: Committed to continued professional development to maintain and enhance competence. Back to Duty

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

View occupation in map View apprenticeship standard

Share this page

LinkedIn X Facebook Email

Crown copyright © 2025. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

Engineering maintenance technician - dual discipline - Electrical and control and instrumentation engineering maintenance technician