Assuring that manufacturing runs smoothly in areas such as site maintenance.
This occupation is found in cross sectors such as aerospace, automotive, maritime defence, logistics, oil, gas and other processing Industries. Employers may be directly involved in these activities or as a service provider, original equipment manufacturer or approved solutions provider in large or small to medium organisations providing services such as systems integration, service, maintenance and repair or technical consultancy. The control systems contain software algorithms which monitor information about the activities under control, make decisions based on this information, and then instruct machines or equipment to modify their activities, ensuring that they are performed as required and in a controlled, safe and repeatable manner. Each control system is unique to a plant and typically consist of complex combinations of electrical or electronic hardware and dedicated software. They typically use mechanical, electrical and fluid power to drive physical machines (for example conveyors, lifters and part handling machines) or process equipment units (for example distillation columns and separators).
Within the product manufacturing industry, control system engineers are concerned with the control of automated production processes to manage the interaction of machines or robotics with the products being assembled or parts being utilised for assembly. The process manufacturing industry is concerned with the measurement and control of factors such as pressure, flow and level etc. of products in a process plant.
This occupation will give employers the ability to maintain, update, modify and continually improve their operational capacity and capability.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to be able to plan and lead projects and other relevant programmes of work that involves process improvement, problem solving and maintenance including complex fault finding activities in order to optimise control systems. Depending on the nature and size of organisation Control System Engineers may also be involved in the system design or the installation, testing and commissioning of any new or modified systems.
A control systems engineer is a multi-skilled role specialising in engineering systems that are used to monitor and control manufacturing or process operations, working across a range of equipment such as Programmable Logic Controllers, Human Machine Interfaces, Robots and Industrial Networks in discreet or process manufacturing environments. The use of physical tools, software tools and test or diagnostic instruments, are fundamental to carrying out tasks associated with designing, testing, building, installing, pre commissioning, commissioning and maintaining or servicing of control systems and any associated equipment.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a multi-disciplinary team for example as a leader or member of a specialist project team, maintenance, installation or commissioning team that will work alongside other stakeholders for such as design engineers, manufacturing engineers, quality engineers, production engineers, cost engineers or procurement managers. Typically this occupation is plant based with some office work. Some sectors may require the control system engineer to work outside, such as in a processing plant.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for ensuring the optimisation of control systems, equipment integrity, reliability, availability and compliance with relevant standards and or directives. Supporting outages, shutdowns and maintenance or servicing activities and providing specialist problem solving, technical back up and support for other engineers. Monitoring of the operation of these systems can be carried out either within in-situ control rooms or in certain cases remotely such as via web based, digital, GPRS based mobile communications.
Control systems engineers will also be responsible for identifying and supporting opportunities for cost savings, efficiency and business improvement. A control systems engineer will work both autonomously and as part of a team reporting to a senior manager or director, depending on the programme of work, projects undertaken and organisation size. They will exercise considerable judgement and autonomy for the work they undertake coupled with a high-level of personal decision making and influence, setting out recommendations and potential options to the employer or customer.
This is a summary of the key things that you – the apprentice and your employer need to know about your end-point assessment (EPA). You and your employer should read the EPA plan for the full details. It has information on assessment method requirements, roles and responsibilities, and re-sits and re-takes.
An EPA is an assessment at the end of your apprenticeship. It will assess you against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) in the occupational standard. Your training will cover the KSBs. The EPA is your opportunity to show an independent assessor how well you can carry out the occupation you have been trained for.
Your employer will choose an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) to deliver the EPA. Your employer and training provider should tell you what to expect and how to prepare for your EPA.
The length of the training for this apprenticeship is typically 42 months. The EPA period is typically 6 months.
The overall grades available for this apprenticeship are:
The EPA gateway is when the EPAO checks and confirms that you have met any requirements required before you start the EPA. You will only enter the gateway when your employer says you are ready.
The gateway requirements for your EPA are:
For the control systems engineer (degree), the qualification required is:
BEng Honours or BSc Honours degree accredited by an Engineering Council licensed Professional Engineering Institution (PEI). Employers may use a degree that intends to get accreditation - a PEI must be involved and consulted on content from the outset.
Project with report
You will complete a project and write a report. You will be asked to complete a project. The title and scope must be agreed with the EPAO at the gateway. The report should be a maximum of 9000 words (with a 10% tolerance).
You will have 20 weeks to complete the project and submit the report to the EPAO.
You need to prepare and give a presentation to an independent assessor. Your presentation slides and any supporting materials should be submitted at the same time as the project output. The presentation with questions will last at least 60 minutes. The independent assessor will ask at least 5 questions about the project and presentation.
Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence
You will have a professional discussion with an independent assessor. It will last 60 minutes. They will ask you at least 10 questions. The questions will be about certain aspects of your occupation. You need to compile a portfolio of evidence before the EPA gateway. You can use it to help answer the questions.
You should speak to your employer if you have a query that relates to your job.
You should speak to your training provider if you have any questions about your training or EPA before it starts.
You should receive detailed information and support from the EPAO before the EPA starts. You should speak to them if you have any questions about your EPA once it has started.Reasonable adjustments
If you have a disability, a physical or mental health condition or other special considerations, you may be able to have a reasonable adjustment that takes this into account. You should speak to your employer, training provider and EPAO and ask them what support you can get. The EPAO will decide if an adjustment is appropriate.
This apprenticeship aligns with Institute of Mechanical Engineers for Incorporated Engineer
Please contact the professional body for more details.
This apprenticeship aligns with Institution of Engineering Technology for Incorporated Engineer
Please contact the professional body for more details.
This apprenticeship aligns with Royal Aeronautical Society for Incorporated Engineer
Please contact the professional body for more details.
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Occupational standard, end-point assessment plan and funding band revised but funding remained the same. | 04/03/2024 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 12/11/2014 | 03/03/2024 |
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