In this guide
Actemium Design has an open electrical, control and instrumentation (EC&I) degree apprenticeship in Chorley or Whitehaven. The live employer vacancy asks for 96 UCAS points and lists A-level Maths at grade C, an engineering or technical T Level, or an engineering or technical BTEC as its essential qualification routes. You do not have to assume A-level Maths is the only route.
The government vacancy, reference VAC2000061231, gives the details missing from the employer page: £19,000 a year, a 1 September 2027 start, two positions and an 18 January 2027 application deadline. Both pages had an application route on 31 October 2026. Check them again before you submit; a live listing can change.
Does 96 points make you eligible?
The points threshold and the named qualification route are separate checks. Actemium says you should have, or be working towards, at least 96 UCAS points from relevant Level 3 study. Its essential list then names:
- A-level Mathematics at grade C; or
- an Engineering or Technical T Level at Merit or Distinction; or
- an Engineering or Technical BTEC at Merit or Distinction.
For a simple A-level illustration, UCAS gives a grade C 32 points, so three Cs total 96. That arithmetic alone does not settle eligibility: Actemium specifies a relevant subject route, and UCAS says providers decide which qualifications they accept. If you have a mixed set of qualifications, use the UCAS Tariff calculator, then ask the recruiter to confirm your particular combination before spending hours on the form. Our general degree apprenticeship requirements guide explains why one employer's grade rule should not be applied to every role.
The advert also says some roles may require the ability to obtain and keep Security Check clearance. It does not say every applicant must already hold clearance. Read the linked guidance and ask Actemium about your circumstances if this could affect you.
What work and study would you actually do?
EC&I means designing and checking the systems that measure and control industrial equipment. The employer lists electrical drawings, equipment and instrumentation selection, PLC/DCS control systems, technical calculations, and testing. It describes the job as primarily office-based design work, with practical engineering experience. That matters if you pictured five days a week installing wiring on site.
The government listing says the training provider is the University of Greater Manchester, with a Level 6 electrical and electronic engineer degree course. It sets out four days in the office and one day at university, a 37.5-hour week and a five-year duration. The employer says the outcome is a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Because the vacancy offers both Chorley and Whitehaven, ask how the university day and travel work from the site you select. The advert does not spell out that journey.
There are two positions listed across the vacancy, but the page does not allocate one to each location. You can select locations during the government application flow. Check availability before assuming your preferred site has a separate place.
Before you apply
- Read the employer's current application page and the government reference together. Write down which qualification route you meet and how you reach 96 points.
- Pick Chorley, Whitehaven or both based on a real commute. Ask where the university day happens for that site.
- Use one example of a circuit, coding, design or problem-solving project to explain why you want design work in a regulated environment. The advert names nuclear energy, defence and decommissioning projects; avoid claiming you would be assigned to a specific one.
- Put 18 January 2027 in your application tracker, then check the employer page again before submission. You can compare other live degree apprenticeships if the location or study pattern does not fit.
The useful distinction here is the word or. A student with a relevant T Level or BTEC should read the full vacancy rather than rule themselves out at “A-level Maths”. A student with 96 points from unrelated subjects should not assume the number alone is enough. Your next step is to match the exact qualification you hold to the exact line in the advert.
ApprenticeWizard tracks live apprenticeships and internships in one place, with a free application tracker so you can keep the deadline beside your next action. On 31 October 2026, our database held 5,891 active opportunities, including 278 labelled degree apprenticeships. Those are search counts, not a guarantee that each employer is still accepting applications. Start your list here.