Apprenticeship guide

Ports & Logistics Apprenticeships in the Humber

The Humber's four ABP ports and the logistics parks around them run on apprentices as much as anywhere in the region, from 12-month port operative programmes to four-year engineering schemes and marine routes that lead to a pilot's licence.

Updated 3 September 2026

King George Dock at dusk with the illuminated 'Welcome to the Port of Hull' sign, quayside cranes and lights reflected in the waterPhoto: Andy Beecroft,CC BY-SA 2.0

The Humber ports handle around £75bn of trade a year and support roughly 33,000 jobs, with Immingham among the UK’s largest ports by tonnage. Associated British Ports employs more than 1,200 people directly across Hull, Immingham, Grimsby and Goole, and around those ports sit logistics parks, haulage firms, freight forwarders and warehouses that together make up one of the region’s biggest employment sectors. Almost all of it recruits apprentices, and unlike some industries the entry points start at Level 2 and do not assume A-levels.

The main apprenticeship standards

Apprenticeships in England are built on national standards, so it helps to know the names employers use when they advertise.

Port operative (Level 2) — typically 12 to 18 months, covering cargo handling, mooring and berthing, plant operation and the safety and security rules of a working port. This is the front door to ABP and to the stevedoring and terminal companies around the estuary.
Supply chain warehouse operative (Level 2) — around 12 months, covering goods in, storage, picking and packing, dispatch and materials handling equipment such as forklifts and reach trucks. Used widely on the logistics parks at Stallingborough and Helm at Immingham and by distribution centres across the region.
Large goods vehicle driver (Level 2) — around 12 months, and unusual in that the apprenticeship funds the Category C and C+E licence training and tests you would otherwise pay for yourself. Haulage firms around Immingham and Goole use it to grow their own drivers.
Seafarer, deck rating (Level 2) and Workboat crewmember (Level 3) — 18 and 24 months respectively, for people who want to work afloat on tugs, pilot boats, crew transfer vessels and other working craft rather than on the quay.
Engineering technician routes (Level 3) — four-year programmes in electrical or mechanical maintenance, keeping cranes, conveyors, lock gates and vessels running.

Above these sit Level 4 and higher routes in logistics management, engineering and marine operations, and ABP’s Level 5 marine pilot apprenticeship at the top of the marine ladder.

ABP’s programmes in the Humber

ABP is the single biggest apprenticeship employer in the sector here. Its careers site lists four routes: a Level 2 port operative programme of 12 to 18 months; a four-year Level 3 engineering apprenticeship as an electrical engineer or maintenance and engineering technician; a three-year Level 3 marine operations apprenticeship; and a two-year Level 5 marine pilot programme. Applications typically open in February and March for an August start and run through a five-stage process of application review, online testing, video interview and assessment centre.

In the Humber, engineering apprentices attend HETA, and the scheme can carry up to 24 apprentices at a time. ABP says hundreds of young people apply each year, and its Humber apprentices have won HETA’s Apprentice of the Year award in consecutive years. The work spans cranes, forklifts, tugs and dock infrastructure at Immingham and Hull, which makes for a broader engineering education than most factory-based programmes. Our ABP Humber employer page describes the wider business.

Beyond ABP

The ports are only part of the picture. The £200m Immingham freight ferry terminal, a joint ABP and Stena Line project on which construction began in late 2025, is expected to support around 700 construction jobs and roughly 200 permanent roles. Logistics parks at Stallingborough and Helm at Immingham host distribution and haulage operators who recruit warehouse and driver apprentices directly. Freight forwarders, customs agents and shipping lines around Hull and Immingham take on business administration and international trade apprentices. And the offshore wind operations bases in Grimsby, covered on our offshore wind page, recruit marine and logistics coordinators who often start in port roles.

For college delivery, Grimsby Institute, part of TEC Partnership, runs the engineering maintenance technician apprenticeship used by south bank employers, and Hull College offers maintenance and operations engineering technician, civil engineering senior technician and plate welder apprenticeships on the north bank. Both also deliver the business and logistics standards on behalf of local employers.

Entry requirements

Level 2 port and warehouse programmes are genuinely open. Employers usually ask for a reasonable standard of English and maths, and if you do not have Level 1 you will work toward it during the apprenticeship. Physical fitness matters for port operative and marine roles, and some employers run medicals. Engineering routes are more demanding, with GCSE grade 5 or above in English, maths and science the usual HETA baseline. Our advice on interview tips for warehouse and logistics roles is a practical next step once you have found a vacancy.

What you’ll earn

Apprentice pay starts at or above the national apprentice rate and rises with each year. Once qualified, port operatives in the Humber typically earn around £25,000 to £32,000 with shift allowances, warehouse operatives around £22,000 to £28,000, LGV drivers around £30,000 to £40,000 depending on hours and loads, and maintenance engineers around £32,000 to £42,000. These are broad indicative ranges only.

How to apply

Register your CV on the ABP careers site so you are notified when applications open, and set up alerts on GOV.UK’s Find an apprenticeship service for port, warehouse, logistics and driving vacancies across the DN and HU postcodes. For a general sense of what is available in each town, see our guides to apprenticeships in Hull and apprenticeships in Grimsby.

Questions people ask

What apprenticeships does ABP actually offer?

ABP lists four routes: a Level 2 port operative programme of 12 to 18 months, a four-year Level 3 engineering apprenticeship as an electrical engineer or maintenance and engineering technician, a three-year Level 3 marine operations programme, and a two-year Level 5 marine pilot apprenticeship. In the Humber the engineering apprentices study at HETA, and ABP says it can have up to 24 apprentices on the scheme at any one time.

Do I need a driving licence for a logistics apprenticeship?

For warehouse and port operative roles, no, although a licence helps with shift work at sites that are hard to reach by public transport. For the Level 2 large goods vehicle driver apprenticeship you need a full car licence to begin with; the apprenticeship itself covers the training and tests for your Category C and C+E licences. Age limits for professional driving licences mean most LGV apprentices are 18 or over.

Is port work dangerous?

Ports are heavy industrial environments with large vehicles, cranes, vessels and open water, so safety training is a serious part of every apprenticeship and employers screen for physical fitness where the role demands it. Modern ports are far safer than their reputation, but you should expect strict rules, personal protective equipment and a zero-tolerance approach to shortcuts.

What is the career path after a port operative apprenticeship?

Port operatives often progress to plant and crane operation, team leader and supervisor roles, or move sideways into planning, marine operations or engineering with further training. Because the Humber ports are growing, with the Immingham ferry terminal alone expected to add around 200 permanent roles, there is room to move up within one employer rather than having to leave to progress.