Apprentice Hub
Plain-English guides, practical tools and real shop-floor examples for apprentices and new engineers in UK food manufacturing. Learn the job, stay safe, and build the career.
Level 2 to degree apprentices in maintenance, electrical, mechanical and multi-skilled roles.
Graduates, career changers and engineers new to food who want the basics done right.
Supervisors and engineering managers who train, mentor and develop new engineers.
Four steps through your apprenticeship
- Learn the basicsRead the knowledge articles in your first few months on site.
- Work safelyUse the guides on hazards, isolation and hygiene before you pick up the tools.
- Log your skillsRecord what you’ve done in the Skills Logbook, and review it with your mentor.
- Get assessedPrepare for End-Point Assessment, then plan your next step and EngTech registration.
Knowledge articles
Short reads that explain how a food site works and what’s expected of you.
Your First Month as an Engineer in Food
What college doesn't tell you about working on a food site
Read now →How a Food Factory Works
The food safety basics every engineer needs to understand
Read now →Hygienic Design for Engineers
Why the shape of a machine matters as much as how it runs
Read now →Refrigeration and Ammonia Awareness for New Starters
What you need to know before you go near the plant room
Read now →PLCs on Food Lines
What new engineers need to know, and what to leave alone
Read now →Food Engineering Apprenticeships Explained
The routes from Level 3 to degree, and how to choose
Read now →Your Career Map in Food Engineering
From apprentice to head of engineering, and what each step takes
Read now →Getting Professionally Registered
EngTech, IEng and CEng explained, and how to start logging CPD
Read now →Interview Guide for Maintenance Engineer Roles
What food manufacturers ask, what they test, and how to prepare
Read now →Practical guides and tools
Step-by-step guides with illustrations, checklists and UK law references, plus tools to use on the job.
The Jobs That Hurt Apprentices
The six hazards to respect from day one
Read now →Permits, Isolation and Paperwork Explained
What each piece of paper is for, and why it keeps you alive
Read now →Engineering Hygiene After Maintenance
Tool count and line handback checklist
Read now →A Fault-Finding Method That Works
Find the real cause, not just swap parts
Read now →Reading Electrical Drawings and P&IDs
Find your way round the drawings
Read now →Pneumatics Fault Finding
Cylinders, valves and air supply, explained simply
Read now →Mechanical Basics Done Right
Bearings, belts, chains and alignment, illustrated
Read now →Writing a Good Job Card and Shift Handover
Short, clear records, with templates
Read now →End-Point Assessment: How to Prepare
Knowledge test, practical and professional discussion
Read now →Apprentice Skills Logbook
Excel logbook: 58 skills, weekly reflection and CPD log
Read now →Pocket Reference Cards
Print-and-fold cards: isolation, threads, bearings and more
Read now →Support your apprentices
Practical help for the people who train the next generation of food engineers.
Mentoring an Apprentice
A practical guide for supervisors and experienced engineers
Read now →Running an Apprenticeship Programme
Onboarding plan, rotation schedule and review template
Read now →Corporate membership brings your engineering team, including apprentices, onto one membership. Compare membership options.
Free membership for apprentices
Join AFME as an Apprentice Member and get the full Apprentice Hub, your own My AFME dashboard and an AFME membership certificate. When you qualify, move up to Individual membership.
- All Apprentice Hub guides and tools
- Apprentice Skills Logbook and Pocket Reference Cards
- Ask an Engineer: no question is too basic
- Knowledge Hub, events and technical briefings
- Digital Apprentice Member certificate
Stuck on something?
Post your question in Ask an Engineer, where experienced food engineers in the AFME community can help. No question is too basic.
Ask an Engineer