Civil Engineering Level 3 Apprentice Opportunity

There are currently a number of permanent full-time Civil Engineering vacancies at Apprentice grade in DfI.

Job Description

Level 3 Civil Engineering Course – The post-holder is required to study in order to obtain two Level 3 qualifications (Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering for Technicians; and Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Civil Engineering) and work toward professional qualification as an Engineering Technician with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The post-holder will carry out a range of professional and technical duties while studying part-time at a Northern Ireland based Further Education College.

Siteworks – The Apprentice will assist and support Professional and Technical, and General Service staff in the delivery of Departmental functions; for DFI this will be primarily in roads, and flood risk management. The post-holder will assume greater responsibility as their skills and experience develops. This work will include:

» Site surveys, including measurements and levelling;

» Quality inspections during and following completion of work;

» Ensuring works are carried out in compliance with Health and Safety procedures (including checks as required).

Preparation and updating of engineering drawings – The post-holder will assist in development of engineering drawings for works, and will include learning how to use various Computer Aided Design software packages.

Contract documentation – The post-holder will be required to learn the basics of procurement and understand the need for contract management.

Engineering reports – The post-holder will be involved in learning the basics in Civil Engineering so that they can generate the content of engineering reports, with line management support.

Effective communication – The post-holder will be expected to develop good working relationships with other Apprentices, departmental colleagues and the ability to communicate with a variety of external customers, stakeholders and contractors.

Problem solving – The post-holder will be required to deal with issues in the course of inspecting/ managing engineering projects, with line management supervision. This will include Health and Safety issues, traffic control, scheduling of works and dealing with customer complaints.

Decision making – Initially the post-holder will have limited responsibility for decision making, but as their experience is developed they will start to take some technical decisions under guidance from line management. They will need to prioritise their own work to balance it with studies and meet agreed targets.

Any other relevant duties as allocated by management.

Person Specification

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have, by the closing date for applications:

1. At least 5 GCSEs (Grade C and above) including a minimum of Grade B in Maths, Grade C in English Language (or Level 2 Essential Skills in place of GCSE English), Grade C in a Science subject (Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Double Award Science).
2. Access to a form of transport which will permit them to meet the requirements of the post in full.

Equivalent qualifications may be considered, provided they are approved as an entry qualification by the Further Education Colleges listed in this document.

As this is a Civil Engineering Apprentice opportunity, applicants who have previously achieved Level 3 or above in a recognised vocational qualification in a Civil Engineering/Construction related course are not eligible to apply for this competition. Candidates who hold other qualifications which would make them eligible to enter a Level 4 Civil Engineering/Construction related course will still be required to complete the Level 3 course rather than moving onto Level 4.

Failure to declare existing qualifications may result in your employment being terminated.

Shortlisting Criteria

In addition, applicants should be aware that after an eligibility sift, should it be necessary to shortlist candidates to go forward to interview, the following shortlisting criteria will be used in the order listed:

1. A minimum of Grade B in a relevant Science subject (Physics or Double Award Science)
2. A minimum of Grade A in Maths.

How to Apply:

To help inform your application, we encourage you to explore the DfI careers website before completing your application to find out more about the work of DfI, who we are, our values, the impact that we make and to hear from our people.

You are also encouraged to refer to the information provided in the Candidate Information Booklet and NICS Competency Framework. To start the application process, you are invited to complete the application form via the NICS recruitment website, please register to vacancy IRC325470 at https://irecruit-ext.hrconnect.nigov.net/

Closing Date

The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is: 12 noon (UK time) Friday 17th April 2026

Location

The posts on offer will be based across Northern Ireland.

The Interview

It is intended that interviews for this post will take place in Belfast from week commencing 26th May 2026.