Barton Firtop is the centre of excellence for Strainer and Filtration Technology. We are a manufacturer of Strainers, Filters, Coalescers and associated pipeline equipment, predominantly for the energy industries.

We are passionate about providing apprenticeship opportunities to bright, young people in our local area, enabling them to earn a wage whilst developing skills and gaining recognised qualifications within their targeted field of expertise.

We believe apprenticeships based in the workplace are vital to achieve sustainable growth for our business. Unlike the ‘University approach’, an apprenticeship facilitates fully funded, recognised Higher Level education qualifications. 

An apprenticeship enables you to gain hands-on experience, alongside an industry-recognised qualification, providing a career path for continual progression to achieve well-paid employment with great job satisfaction. 

We invest in our apprentices by supporting them financially and allowing them to earn a qualification, whilst learning from mentors on-site and gaining from their expertise. The only costs an apprentice must cover are their day-to-day expenses, such as travel and lunch.

An apprentice at Barton Firtop will also receive rewards and benefits that are available to all our employees, including a Company bonus system, free social events, generous annual holiday package with birthday leave (after a qualifying period), pension scheme, free on-site parking including car charging facility for electric vehicles.

Hiring apprentices at our company enables us to attract and nurture local talent to develop a motivated, highly skilled, and qualified team. 

This is important, as we are an environmentally conscious company; investing in the construction of our new state-of-the-art building incorporating a Ground Source Heating Pump system, coupled with the latest building standards for insulation to further enhance the facilities overall, as we look towards setting a net zero target in the future.

The duration of our apprenticeships depends on the actual role and course taken. For example, our Apprentice R&D Engineers study for an HNC in Mechanical Engineering (Level 4) and this course runs for a duration of 36 months.

 Training for the qualification is provided off-site by Dudley College on a ‘day release’ basis. Other on-the-job training is provided within different departments of the business to gain an appreciation of the functionality in its entirety, from receiving sales orders, design and manufacture, through to packing and despatch of the completed contract.

A full induction programme is included to ensure seamless integration into the company.  We promote a healthy working environment, great team spirit and individual job satisfaction.  

Although we cannot guarantee permanent employment upon completion of an apprenticeship, we aim to achieve this. To date, we have offered positions for all past apprentices.

The skills learned and qualifications gained are transferrable and desirable to many potential employees, giving job security for decades to come. 

To date, we employ 5 full-time working Engineers who joined us several years ago on their very own apprenticeship journey. 

Some of these Engineers are now mentors, guiding our current apprentices and offering them the level of support they once received.  

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please get in touch immediately with our HR department who will be able to give you further details: humanresources@bartonfirtop.co.uk