DE&S Electro-Mechanical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we’re here to provide for the Armed Forces, as they serve our country all over the world. We support those on the front line by providing cutting-edge equipment and technology for land, sea, air and space. We deliver the kit the UK military needs to maintain advantage and stay protected, as they protect life at home and overseas. 

You want to be an expert in your field one day. We want to help make it happen. You’ll discover new talents, pinpoint new ambitions, find a home among a diverse team – and be empowered to turn your gifts into an incredible career. Ready for real investment in your future? We’re developing tomorrow’s talent today. 

What sets DE&S apart is the focus we put on you. We help you find your flair and then plan a flourishing career around what you love. And along the way, you’ll enjoy real rewards for the work you do, with competitive benefits and career progression. 

If successful, you will undertake a comprehensive framework of practical and academic training, including a full degree for individuals with the greatest potential. Apprentices will also complete several work-based training placements at various locations within the UK while completing relevant vocational qualifications in preparation for engineering roles within the MOD’s current and future programmes. 

You will work in a hugely collaborative environment alongside engineers, project managers, customers, and suppliers to ensure that DE&S continues to deliver the very best equipment to the front line. 

Year 1 - Full-time attendance at a training provider to learn core engineering skill and start your academic training. Our current training provider is University Centre Weston.

Years 2 & 3 - Practical, vocational, and academic training towards an engineering BEng. 

Years 4 & 5 - For your final two years, whilst working towards your BEng degree, you can expect to focus more closely on a particular area of the business e.g., land equipment, aerospace, maritime, weapons etc.

Because of the classification of some of the information related to certain projects, some work-based placements may be open to Sole UK Nationals only.

Placement opportunities:

Electrical - Virtually every piece of equipment used by the UK Armed Forces, supported by DE&S, has an electrical or electronic component. As an electrical/electronic degree apprentice you could expect to be involved in all aspects of engineering, from an electrical power distribution system on a warship to an electronic guidance system for a complex weapon. 
 
Mechanical – A mechanical degree apprentice could expect to be involved in tasks like analysing the wear of mechanical components in ships engines, reviewing the options for improving the effectiveness of armour on a troop carrier or maybe supporting the development of the next generation of directed energy weapons. 
 
You will support activities such as: keeping current equipment in service, resolving technical engineering problems and planning for the future of MoD equipment. You will be involved in bringing new projects and services from concept through to in service and ultimately disposal at their end of life. 

Responsibilities 

You’ll be involved with the following: 

• Participating in assigned educational training to develop own capabilities in a defence context. 
• Delivering engineering products/services against agreed objectives to develop knowledge and experience and add value to the team and wider business. 
• Building awareness and understanding of how the engineering function and wider business operates to assist in own development and career progression. 
• Identifying opportunities to develop knowledge and experience to progress as an apprentice to Engineering Technician and towards Incorporated engineer IEng status in the time specified. 
• Providing support to colleagues in their specialist area and actively contribute to team meetings to help with the work of the team. 

We also have Engineering Degree Apprenticeship opportunities available in the Aerospace field. If you are successful at assessment but do not secure a place in Electro-mechanical, you may be offered a similar role if available.

It takes lots of different people and lots of different skill sets to keep the UK Armed Forces fully equipped and well supported. 

To be successful with your application, we are looking for you to demonstrate your potential to succeed in a dynamic working environment. We’re here to help you find your speciality, so we hire for aptitude and train for skills. 

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are dedicated to creating a great place to work that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. To help us do this, we encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, and people from LGBTQ+ communities. By bringing together different ideas, experiences, and perspectives, we can achieve our ambitions, together. 

You must hold the right to work full time in the UK and qualify for service under the Civil Service Nationality Rules without any additional immigration approvals, at the point of Assessment where we will be conducting our right to work checks. You must be able to supply evidence of this at interview. This must be in place by the time we conduct your pre-employment checks in April and not expire before the start of the scheme. If your right to work will expire while you are in employment, you must be able to reconfirm your right to work before it expires, without sponsorship, in order to maintain your employment.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating staff on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harms associated with second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Tobacco-Free Working Environment (TFWE) programme, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere, unless stated otherwise, in the Defence working environment by 31st December 2022. Those seeking, considering, or accepting employment should be aware of this requirement. 

Qualifications 

You must have or be studying to achieve the following qualifications by September 2024: 
 
Essential requirements: 
Five full GCSEs at A*-C or grades 4-9 (or equivalent) to include English Language, Maths and Science (preferably Physics). 
 
and 
 
Three full A Levels at a minimum of grade C to include Maths, Science (preferably Physics) plus one other (excluding general studies). 
 
Or; 
 
A national diploma in Engineering equivalent to a minimum 96 UCAS Points. 
 
Or; 
 
A minimum of 96 UCAS points in relevant Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. 
 
Desirable: 
To ensure candidates are working at the appropriate level we would typically expect grades of B, B, C at A Level or D*D* in a relevant National Diploma (112 UCAS points) however those with the minimum essential grades and strong levels of experience would be welcomed.

 
What to put on your CV:

Please clearly list your qualifications including your results or predicted grades, distinguishing between an English Language or English Literature qualification awarded. 

Your CV will be assessed using a simple numerical scoring system against your Key achievements, Applied knowledge and skills, and Relevant Experience.

Please include on your CV how you meet the essential criteria and highlight your relevant experience and interests to support your application by opening with a personal profile. 

For guidance on writing a CV for DE&S, please click here  

If you hold or have studied towards a qualification at the same level or above in the same or a similar subject, please declare this within your CV so we can assess your eligibility.

To be eligible for this programme, you will need to:

• Be at least 16-years old at the start of the scheme
• Have the right to work in the UK.
• Have been a resident in the UK/EA/EEA continuously for 3-years before starting the apprenticeship.
• Have left full-time education when the apprenticeship starts.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Technical requirements, evaluation and acceptance

Alongside training and development, you’ll receive the following great benefits: 

• £25,270 Starting Salary – with annual increments 
• 25 days holiday a year, plus 1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday. 
• A market-leading employer pension contribution of around 27 percent, and recognition awards. 
• Flexible and hybrid working wherever possible, to support your work-life balance (though some attendance to the stated site is required)
• Use of our on-site gym, restaurant, and cafes. 
• A huge range of discounts including retail, sports, leisure, restaurants, gifts, days out, holidays, cinema, motoring, insurance, health care, gym memberships, and more. 

Further Information 

More information can be found below: 

• • DE&S Little Book of Big Benefits: https://bit.ly/3FEb54v
  • Further Information: https://bit.ly/3K26Xhl
  • Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/3yUwcM1

Job contact :

• Name : Rachel Davison
• Email : DESHR-ETCoE-Recruitment@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dbscivpers-engapprentice@mod.gov.uk