COMPANY
CAREERS
Working for Us
As a growing business, with specialist technical expertise, it’s essential that we invest in our workforce and build a succession plan for the future of the business.
We devote time and resource into bringing apprentices and placement students into the business every year. We give genuine career opportunities and real accountability to ambitious recruits with an aptitude for engineering.
Graduate Opportunities & Apprenticeships
Student Placements & Graduate opportunities
Student placements are another great opportunity for us to bring new skills and ideas into the business, from students who already have an in-depth knowledge of engineering theory. You will be exposed very quickly to projects that will build on your academic knowledge, leaving you with very useful experience to build on when you complete your studies.
Recent students have taken up very hands-on roles, with several of them returning to the business permanently after their studies, to take up senior management roles.
Whilst we don’t offer a structured graduate development programme, we always welcome speculative applications from graduates with relevant academic qualifications. Contact us if you would like to discuss how your experience and qualifications could help us grow our business further.
Apprenticeships
Our engineering apprenticeships give you a structured programme of career development. This will include academic studies – typically NVQ and BTEC qualifications, with many apprentices going on to complete a HNC or HND qualification.
More importantly though, you will gain early exposure to important processes within the business such as quality management, sales and manufacturing. Many previous apprentices have progressed quickly into management roles as the business has grown.
“I joined Alco in 2013 on an apprenticeship which I’ve now completed. I’m now being supported to study my HNC in Mechanical Engineering, which I’m really looking forward to starting to develop my career even further.
I worked in several different departments as part of my apprenticeship and I now work on the larger valves such as subsea and large trunnion mounts. I find the work really interesting and I just want to keep working hard and progress further up the chain with Alco, and my HNC will help me do this. A lot of my friends from college also went through engineering apprenticeships and it feels like Alco compares very well with some of the other apprentice schemes my friends have been through.”
Jordan Clavin
ASSEMBLER & FITTER
“I joined Alco in 2013 partway through my apprenticeship and the company supported me in advancing on to my HNC, which I have now achieved. I really enjoy working at Alco because I like to be involved in key processes and I have had a lot of opportunities to do this.
I have had a really hands-on role with work such as fire testing and type approval testing, and I even flew to Oman to help a vendor set up their own testing procedures. I want to keep doing more of this kind of work and maybe get more involved with finished products that we develop within the R&D team. I feel like Alco really listen to their staff and give us all plenty of opportunities to progress.”
Mark Smith
R&D ENGINEER
“I really enjoy working so closely with customers - many of them in other parts of the world - and building relationships with them. I recently secured a very large contract for over 20 valves going to Egypt which was really rewarding and I got some great help from my colleagues to secure the deal.
I really enjoy working at Alco and having worked at the old premises and moved to the new one. I also feel that I personally am getting great support from the business to build my career and see a good future for myself here. ”
Sam Walland
APPRENTICE SALES SUPPORT ENGINEER
“My first experience of Alco was two weeks’ work experience while I was at 6th form college. That then turned into a part-time job, and when I completed college I started an apprenticeship and will start my HNC studies shortly.
What I enjoy most about working at Alco is the real responsibility you get. For example I am very involved in testing at all stages of the manufacturing process, and I have worked alongside third party inspectors to demonstrate my methods as part of our quality management accreditations. It just goes to show that if you work hard and use the knowledge you’ve picked up from your studies, you will get opportunities to progress quickly.”
Josh Milthorpe
QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTOR
“I joined Alco in 2015 as an apprentice and have worked across the full range of valve products as an assembler. I am studying for an NVQ in Engineering Maintenance and I am impressed with how well my studies fit with the work I am doing.
I see good long-term potential at Alco and the things I enjoy most are the variety of the work, the fact that it’s challenging and teaches you new things regularly and the way the whole team work together and support one another.”
Sam Lane
APPRENTICE ASSEMBLER
CURRENT VACANCIES
Current career opportunities can be found below. We always welcome speculative applications from high-calibre individuals who share our values of engineering excellence and quality management. You can also contact us for an informal discussion.
Due to further expansion, Alco Valves Group are currently recruiting for the position of a Buyer / Expeditor to join our Purchasing team. The buyer will work closely with the Purchasing Supervisor to ensure the best quality equipment, goods and services are acquired for the company, at the most competitive prices and delivered within the correct time frames.
Skills Required
- A good understanding of the differing types of materials and standards
- Proven track record of controlling and reducing external spend whilst developing a robust supplier base.
- Able to bring a new dimension to procurement activities.
- Fully conversant with modern procurement and purchasing techniques.
- High competency level in use of Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, as a minimum)
- Full Driving License required.
- Experience of working with MRP systems is essential.
Qualifications & Experience
- Have valve industry experience (Not essential)
- 2 years’ experience in purchasing/expediting as a minimum
- Have or working towards CIPS
We are currently recruiting for valve assemblers to work as part of our busy team in a fast paced, dynamic environment to assist in the assembly of new and existing valve products to meet both industry and customer specifications. Training will be provided.
Key Responsibilities
- Prepare valve components and kits for assembly.
- Assemble valve components following work instructions.
- Maintain a safe and clean working environment.
- Carry out daily work assessments to make sure you are being as safe and efficient as possible.
- Contribute to team effort and ensure production requirements are met.
- Ensure that Health & Safety and Environmental standards are complied with.
- This list is not exhaustive.
Skills Required
- Experience of valve assembly from 5mm up to 4” bore.
- Understanding of concepts around valve testing.
- Working in a team.
- Ability to be flexible within a role.
- Ability to read assembly drawings.
- Committed and hard working with a positive attitude.
- Good time management.
- Ability to react to differing workloads, some of which will be repetitive.
- Computer literate.
Desirable Skills:
- Manual turning and milling operations.
- Experience of valve testing.
- Problem solving skills.
- Welding operations.
- Full UK driving licence.
- Forklift truck licence.
The role involves providing general support to the IT Department including supporting the team with basic IT assistance, administrative duties, and working alongside the IT Manager to support the business with its IT infrastructure. The successful applicant will have an opportunity to learn many new exciting skills and progress their career. However, the role demands that applicants have a good array of transferrable skills, including being organised, forward thinking, professional and sensible at all times, as well as being a hard-working individual. Some knowledge of Information Technology is required.
Skills Required
- Must have good communication skills.
- Ability to plan ahead (prioritise workload) and be forward thinking.
- Some IT skills are required, but the ability to be open to learning new IT and transferrable skills is important.
- Must be flexible, trustworthy and dependable.
- Very good literacy and numeracy skills.
- An eye for detail with very good organisation skills.
- Experience in social media desirable but not a requirement.
- Experience of general administrative duties.
Key responsibilities
- Offering users appropriate support and advice where required.
- Installing and configuring computer systems.
- Diagnosing and solving hardware / software faults.
- Logging customer / employee queries.
- Keep all IT related areas organised. This includes making sure that wires and cables are kept neat.
- Keep our social media platforms updated on a regular basis.
- Assist with product photography and in the design of company promotional materials etc.
- Ensuring that Health & Safety and Environmental standards are complied with.
- Assist with general administrative duties throughout the company.
- Provide general support to various departments during busy intervals, including Documentation, Finance and HR Departments.
- Provide general administrative support when required.
- This list is not exhaustive.
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