2026 Engineering Apprentice - Level 6 Applied Professional Engineer (Level 6 Manufacturing Engineer)
Start Date: 07 September 2026
Salary: £24,000 per annum
Employee type: Permanent
Location: Cheadle
Working Schedule: Monday – Thursday, 37 hours a week (9.25 hours a day)
About Thales
Thales people provide armed forces customers with operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defence mission systems solutions at land, sea, and air. Our platforms extend across the battlespace including Above and Sonar, Electronic Combat, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems. We research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people. We innovate across Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us, and we offer flexibility such as part‑time hours, job sharing, home working, and flexible start and finish times.
What the Role Has To Offer
* Earn while you learn
* Job specific training experience
* Recognised qualifications
* Permanent role from day one
* Tuition fees for university or approved training providers are fully covered
The role will develop your engineering skills to become a confident, positive and flexible engineer, with well‑honed technical knowledge gained from the academic commitments. You will support the team to deliver sonar systems and equipment solutions to deadlines and within budget, including participating in systems requirements and design work, project reviews, system test and possibly site and platform visits for surveys, installations or trials.
Key Skills and Experience
* Understanding the required behaviours and codes of practice of a professional engineer
* Understanding complex systems for Sonar Technology by working on different roles and tasks on ongoing projects
* Familiarity with the Manufacturing Engineering lifecycle and activities
* Familiarity with Manufacturing Engineering tools and methods for requirements capture, requirements management and system design
* Understanding of systems test activities including Integration, Validation, Verification & Qualification (IVVQ) and the associated processes and tools
* A methodical and structured approach to problem investigation
Apprentice Programme
Through our degree apprenticeship you’ll be making the most of your talents, getting to understand engineering from the ground up; and doing so with the help of one of the biggest and best names in the industry. As an Engineering Apprentice you will be enrolled onto the Level 6 Applied Professional Engineering Programme at Warwick University, following the Manufacturing Engineer pathway. Delivered via a blended learning model, this programme combines on‑campus delivery (6 block weeks per year) with virtual coaching and online resources. The first 2 years on programme are common across all pathways and will provide a broad engineering skill set including mechanical, electrical, electronic, materials and design, plus computational. In Year 3 and Year 4 learners will move to their specialist pathway. For the duration of this 4‑year programme you will combine university studies with practical application, working within our Manufacturing function in Cheadle.
Requirements
* 112 UCAS tariff points at A Level including a grade B in Maths and at least 1 further relevant STEM subject (Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, Electronics)
* 5 GCSEs grade 9‑4 (A‑C) including English, Maths and a Science subject
Please note that applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme.
Benefits
* 201 hours annual leave (plus a company day and bank holidays)
* Company Pension
* Health Care Cash Plan
* Life Insurance
* Discount Portal
* Performance‑related pay uplifts
* 80 Hours Volunteering (first two years)
Important Dates
Assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February – May 2026. Induction week for all Graduates and Apprentices will take place from Monday 7 September – Friday 11 September 2026.
Closing date: Applications will close at 11:59 pm on Thursday 12 February 2026. We may close earlier if we receive a high number of applications. Please apply as soon as possible.
Recruitment Process
For further information about our Future Talent recruitment process, including hints and tips, or to connect with a member of the Future Talent Team, a Graduate or an Apprentice, please visit the Thales Future Talent – Connecter page.
Security Clearance
Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, all of our roles are subject to security restrictions. All successful candidates must possess the permanent right to work in the UK and will be required to go through Government security clearance at BPSS Level and to obtain full Security Clearance (SC) in line with the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) requirements before starting with us. It would be advantageous if SC is already held, however if not, it is required that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment.
To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. As part of the vetting process you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, eligibility to work in the UK, time spent abroad over the last 5 years, as well as employment and / or educational history. For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels
Equal Opportunities
Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.
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