Laboratory Scientist Materials Degree Apprenticeship (Level 6) - Darvick Ltd

Description

Location: Unit D1, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 1QA

Expected Start Date: September 2026

Working for Darvick Ltd

At Darvick Ltd, we're redefining the boundaries of materials testing. As a specialist provider of independent sub-contract testing services, we work with cutting-edge clients to deliver bespoke solutions for non-standard, complex, and extreme environments — from cryogenic and elevated temperatures to high-pressure, gaseous, and steam conditions.

Darvick Ltd is an independent, sub-contract testing laboratory. We have UKAS flexible scope accreditation (Lab 26942), and Rolls Royce Technical Approval for tests we carry out for them as a customer. We are a small company, with our own software, electronics and mechanical design staff, meaning we can respond quickly in-house to develop and deliver unique testing capability for customers.
🔗 About Darvick

The Package

• Starting salary: £24,000 - £27,000 per annum (dependent on experience)
• Working hours: 37 hours per week
• Monday - Thursday 8am - 4.30pm / Fridays 8am - 1pm
• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Pension
• Regular training and CPD opportunities

Key Responsibilities

As a Materials Testing Degree Apprentice, you will work towards a fully funded degree while gaining hands-on experience in materials testing and analysis. You'll be part of a dynamic laboratory and field team, conducting tests on metallic and composite materials, ranging from testing customer products such as horse saddles, grab rails, lifting hooks, to testing composites in high pressure steam environment, or testing materials in hydrogen environments.

• Working to the Company BS EN ISO 17025 Quality management system and UKAS accredited flexible scope accreditation
• Analysing customer requirements to specify testing jobs
• Testing and reporting of customer products and materials
• Operating, calibrating and maintaining test equipment and records
• Working as an integrated member of the team to agree and deliver organisational priorities
• Contribute to continuous improvement
• Participating in business wide projects
• Adopt safe working practices and undertake appropriate training in Health and Safety
• Maintain good housekeeping at all times

About You

You’re naturally curious about materials and how they perform in real-world conditions. You’re interested in understanding why materials behave the way they do — whether that’s how they respond to stress, temperature, or environmental factors, or why they sometimes fail or degrade over time.
You enjoy hands-on work and are comfortable carrying out physical testing, preparing samples, and working with equipment to assess properties like strength, durability, or corrosion. You take a methodical approach, following technical standards and procedures carefully, and pay close attention to detail to ensure your results are accurate and reliable.

You think analytically and enjoy interpreting data, linking your findings back to real-world performance and engineering outcomes. You’re confident working with measurements, calculations, and reports, and can communicate your results clearly to others. Motivated to build expertise, you’re interested in developing your skills in materials testing and analysis, contributing to safer, more reliable products and structures.

Please note: Due to the nature of the role, you must be 18+ to be eligible.
Apprenticeship Eligibility

To apply for this apprenticeship, you must:
✔️ Be 18 or over
✔️ Not be in full-time education
✔️ Have lived in the UK for at least 3 years
✔️ Have the right to work in the UK

As this is a Level 6 Materials Degree apprenticeship, you’ll also need:

• An A-Level in Physics/Engineering (Grade C or above)

OR

• A level 3 qualification such as a T-Level or BTEC Extended Diploma in a Science related subject

It would also be beneficial for your application if you had relevant work experience in a related field.

Apprenticeships are designed to provide new knowledge, skills and behaviours, so applicants should not already hold a degree or higher qualification in a closely related subject, or have significant experience in the same field.

If you’re unsure whether you meet the criteria, we’d still love to hear from you - get in touch and we can advise you further.

So how does the apprenticeship work?

Start your career as a laboratory scientist and gain hands-on experience working with materials in a real laboratory or technical environment while working towards a recognised degree.

As part of this Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprenticeship in Materials, you’ll develop the skills to test and analyse materials, investigate performance and failure, and contribute to product development, manufacturing, and innovation.

This programme gives you the best of both worlds - you’ll combine academic study with practical, on-the-job experience, building the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours needed to succeed in the materials science and engineering sector.

👉 Learn more about the programme here.

Over the course of the programme, you’ll combine your day-to-day role with structured training delivered by expert tutors at Tiro, in partnership with Middlesex University. Our blended learning approach includes a mix of online sessions, in-person teaching, and hands-on support, alongside guidance from a dedicated mentor in the workplace.

In the final stage of the programme, you’ll focus on preparing for your End Point Assessment, ensuring you’re ready to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and behaviours in a real-world context.

What your training will look like: You’ll follow a structured programme combining live sessions, online learning, and hands-on workplace training to build your skills step by step.

What could your future look like?

This apprenticeship will help you build the skills and experience needed to progress as a laboratory scientist within the materials and manufacturing sector.

Through practical experience and academic study, you’ll develop the confidence to carry out materials testing, analyse performance, and investigate failures. You’ll contribute to improving products and processes while ensuring high standards of quality, safety, and scientific integrity. This programme can also support professional recognition, such as becoming a Registered Scientist (RSci) or Chartered Scientist (CSci).

You’ll gain experience that’s highly valued across a wide range of technical and industrial environments, opening up opportunities to specialise and progress within materials science, manufacturing, and engineering roles.

If you choose to continue your development, this programme provides a strong foundation for further academic study or progression into senior technical, scientific, and leadership roles. We’re Tiro (pronounced Tea-ro — white, two sugars).

In Latin, it means novice, recruit, apprentice, beginner, and soldier — the perfect name for a company that’s been helping fearless apprentices join ambitious businesses since 2005.

We believe great apprenticeships help everyone. There are remarkable apprentices out there just waiting to be found, and fantastic employers waiting to nurture them.

We’re proud to help connect the two — supporting industries that make, test, and innovate; from polymer manufacturing and materials science to sustainable engineering and advanced technology.

At Tiro, we make great things happen for people.
And that starts with you.