This is a two-part Mechatronics programme. Part 1 helps you get ready to apply for entry-level maintenance roles. Part 2 builds on it, helping you prepare to apply for an apprenticeship — the route towards a qualified technician career. They're designed to work together, so most people get the most out of the programme by doing both, but you can start with whichever part is right for you.

Part 1 — Get RME operator-ready
Part 1 is an eight-week programme that prepares you for entry-level maintenance roles in the highly automated warehouses and manufacturing facilities that keep modern supply chains running — supporting the reliable operation of conveyors, sortation equipment, robotics, and other automated systems.

It is designed for people who are new to maintenance work: no prior maintenance experience or engineering qualification is needed.

You learn online, at your own pace, and practise real skills using a hands-on kit of tools and components posted to your door. By the end, you will be ready to apply for maintenance operator roles such as the RME Operator role at Amazon and to sit an industry-recognised SACA certification exam.

Part 2 — Get RME Mechatronics Apprentice-Ready
Part 2 builds on Part 1 to prepare you for apprentice-level maintenance roles — the step that leads to a qualified maintenance technician career. You go beyond recognising and escalating faults to diagnosing and fixing them, across the four core skill areas of modern automation: industrial electricity and motor controls, mechanical maintenance, fluid power, and PLCs.

You continue learning online with a hands-on kit, then finish with a one-week on-site lab (five days) on industrial-scale equipment, where you put it all together on a final cross-system fault scenario. Part 2 prepares you to sit a further three SACA certification exams and readies you for the apprenticeship opportunity.

How to move from Part 1 to Part 2
Complete Part 1, and you'll be invited to continue into Part 2 automatically. 

Already an RME Operator, or have equivalent hands-on maintenance experience? You can apply for Part 2 directly when applications — you don't need to take Part 1 first.
 

Applications will open on 29 September 2026. Join the waitlist and we'll notify you as soon as the next cohort launches — your details will be saved so enrollment is one click when applications open.

Yes. Part 2 is designed to follow Part 1, and everyone who completes Part 1 is invited to continue into Part 2 automatically. But if you're already an RME Operator — or you have equivalent hands-on maintenance experience — you can apply for Part 2 directly when applications open, without taking Part 1 first.

If you're new to maintenance, we'd recommend starting with Part 1: it builds the foundations Part 2 assumes, and the two are designed to work together.

You can apply when you meet all of the following:
 

• You are a UK national, a non-UK national with the right to work in the UK, or an EU national with settled status
• You are 18 or older
• You have English at B1 level or above
• Have a minimum of 3 GCSEs at Grade 4(C) or above (or equivalent), including Maths, English, and a Science or Technology subject.
• Employed at Amazon for 1 year by 26 January 2027

As part of applying, you will also complete a short maths screener and a brief call covering your motivation and the time you can commit. No prior maintenance experience or engineering qualification is needed — Part 1 of the programme builds those foundations from the ground up.
 

This programme is primarily designed for Associates who are excited to progress in their careers, whether at Amazon or beyond. 

Part 1 prepares you for entry-level maintenance operator roles such as:

• RME Operator — Amazon
• Maintenance Assistant — Next
• Engineering Maintenance Technical Assistant — Ocado
• Warehouse Maintenance Operative — Lidl
• Entry-Level Warehouse Automation Maintenance Assistant — Dematic
• Engineering Support Operative — Swisslog
   

Part 2 prepares you for apprentice-level maintenance roles such as:

• RME Mechatronics Apprentice — Amazon
• Mechatronics & Robotics Apprentice — JLL
• Maintenance Apprentice — Tesco
• Manufacturing Mechatronics Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship — Jaguar Land Rover
• Mechatronics Maintenance Technician Apprentice — Rolls-Royce

*Disclaimer: Pathstream is not affiliated with and does not recruit for these companies.

Course 1 — Mechatronics Maintenance: Safety & Core Skills 

This course builds the foundations of the maintenance operator role and assumes no prior experience. It covers how an automated facility runs, how to stay safe around it, and how to inspect equipment using real tools mailed to your door.

• Mechatronics & the Facility: overview of the role, career path, and mechatronics fundamentals
• Workplace Safety: hazard recognition, safe isolation / lock-off and tag-out (PUWER, EAWR) awareness, PPE, reporting and escalation, housekeeping
• Maintenance & Tools: troubleshooting, inspection, and core tools

Course 2 — Mechatronics Maintenance: Systems & Applications

This course turns from the tools to the systems they're used on: the electrical, mechanical, and automated controls on modern equipment, the records that track their upkeep, and the hiring process at the end.

• Electrical Components: control components, reading schematics, safe measurement, recognizing common faults
• Mechanical Drives: belts, chains, bearings, couplings, and motors — inspect for wear, and lubricate correctly
• Automation & Controls: recognizing fluid power, sensors, PLCs, and HMIs & reading an alarm as a trigger to escalate
• CMMS & Documentation: the work-order lifecycle, equipment effectiveness, closeout notes, and shift handoffs
• Getting Hired: the behavioural hiring assessment, STAR interviews — and the next step on the pathway

We ship a complete home equipment kit so you can practise hands-on from day on. The kit is yours to keep. For the on-site lab, you work with industrial-scale equipment provided at the venue. Your kit will include:
 

• Basic hand tools — wrenches, hex keys, screwdrivers
• Torque wrench, sockets, and fasteners
• Digital calipers
• Digital multimeter (DMM) & 24V DC power supply
• Mechanical parts samples — belt, bearing, and sprocket
• Relay/motor-control kit
• Mechanical sample parts — a belt, a chain and sprocket, and bearings, in good and worn condition
• Lubrication set — grease, a light oil for contrast, open bearings to pack by hand, and gloves and bench pads

Part 1 is fully online — no in-person sessions. In-person attendance only applies to Part 2.

If you indicate on your application that you are interested in Part 2, you will be invited to continue once you have completed Part 1. Part 2 finishes with an on-site lab where you put your skills into practice on industrial-scale equipment. It is a real time commitment away from work, so it is worth planning for from the start. 

You are not required to take Part 2, and if you change your mind after expressing interest, you are under no obligation to continue.

Taking Part 2 is what opens up the next stage of the career. Where Part 1 prepares you for entry-level operator roles, Part 2 builds the hands-on diagnostic skills that apprenticeship providers look for and an apprenticeship is the route to the UK Level 3 qualification and a qualified maintenance technician role, the higher-skilled and better-paid tier of the field.
 

For Part I and most of Part 2, yes. It is online and self-paced, so you fit lessons around your schedule and shifts, as long as you keep to the deadlines. 

The exception is the on-site lab at the end of Part 2, which runs in person, so you will need to arrange time away from work for that part.

You work one-to-one with a career coach who helps you get ready to apply and interview — updating your CV and LinkedIn profile to feature your new skills, practising interviews, and preparing for the assessments employers use. Support continues after you finish the coursework, not only during it.

Not automatically. Completing the programme does not guarantee a role or a pay rise. Amazon roles still require going through the normal application and interview process. What the programme does is make you a genuinely strong candidate: hands-on skills, industry-recognised certifications, and coaching to help you put your best application forward.

You can contact an enrollment advisor by emailing amazon.ukmechatronics@pathstream.com if you have questions about the programme or need help enrolling. 

Pathstream is a learning provider founded with a vision to unlock the unrealized human potential of every employee. Today, we partner with business leaders globally to help team members unlock everyday wins that drive success for their careers, customers, and companies.