Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.
Find the right work-life balance
Thales is a great place to work because we're an organisation that cares about our people.
Turn your curiosity into a career. If you're passionate about engineering, eager to learn, and looking for a degree apprenticeship that combines academic study with exciting on-the-job experience, we'd love to hear from you.
About the Role
This exciting apprenticeship will give you the skills, experience and knowledge to become a highly specialised Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Engineer within the Services team.
Your responsibilities may include:
Supporting systems requirements and design activities
Contributing to project reviews
Participating in system testing and validation activities
Assisting with engineering investigations and problem solving
Visiting customer sites, platforms and installations to support surveys, trials and system deployment where required
Working with experienced engineers on live projects
What You Will Learn
Throughout the apprenticeship, you will gain experience and knowledge in:
Assisting in ILS Planning: Helping develop and maintain ILS (Integrated Logistics Support) plans that align with project requirements.
Supportability Analysis: Assisting with analyses such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Level of Repair Analysis (LORA), and Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAMT) studies, using a range of commercial and Thales-specific analytical tools and databases.
Technical Documentation: Supporting the creation, review, and maintenance of technical documents such as user manuals, maintenance plans, parts lists, and support instructions.
Data Collection & Management: Gathering and maintaining data on equipment and system performance, maintenance activities, and logistics metrics.
Spare Parts & Supply Support: Supporting analysis to determine spares, tools, and test equipment requirements.
Training Support: Assisting with the development of training materials.
Maintenance Strategy Support: Helping develop and improve maintenance tasks and schedules.
Working with Stakeholders: Learning to communicate effectively with engineers, project managers, customers, suppliers, and other relevant parties.
Continuous Learning: Actively engaging in training and development activities provided through the apprenticeship programme.
Degree Apprenticeship Programme
You will be studying towards a Level 6 Higher Level Apprenticeship, finishing with a BEng Mechatronic Engineering degree, with our partners at the Ulster University in their Belfast campus.
This is a 4-year fast track programme. In the first year, you will attend university lectures and tutorials over 4 days per week, remotely complete Thales engineering project work and spend 1 day a week onsite developing your engineering knowledge. From year two onwards, you will be in university 1 day a week and 4 days working in engineering, embedding your university learning in a real-life engineering environment.
Entry Requirements
To apply, you will need:
A Levels
112 UCAS points (A Level BBC) including Grade B in a STEM Subject (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, DT, Engineering, Electronics, Double Award Science/Applied Science).
Or equivalent BTEC Extended Diploma (DMM) to include a merit in Engineering Principles and Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems. Combination of smaller BTEC Diploma plus A levels or other acceptable Level 3 qualifications as per the Ulster University BEng Mechatronic Engineering degree entry requirements
GCSEs
Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 4-9 (A-C) in English and Maths
Please note that applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme.
Benefits
Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum
Performance-related pay uplifts
Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)
Complete Your Application – follow the link provided in the email to complete your application. You can apply for one primary role and up to 3 additional roles.
Complete Online Tests - undertake the online assessments designed to evaluate your suitability for the role.
Virtual Assessment Centre - candidates who progress from the online assessment stage will attend a virtual assessment centre, which will include group exercises, and competency-based interviews.
Job Offer – successful candidates who perform well throughout the recruitment process will receive a job offer from Thales.
Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027. Induction week for all Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.
Please note that roles may close earlier than the advertised deadline if we receive a high number of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this opportunity.
Because of the work we do at Thales, all roles are subject to security requirements.
To be considered for this position, you must have the permanent right to work in the UK and be able to successfully complete and maintain UK Government security checks, including Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) screening and Security Clearance (SC), which is a government background check, before starting employment.
To be eligible for SC clearance, you will typically need to have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, right to work in the UK, any time spent overseas during the last five years, and your employment and/or education history.
Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity, and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.
At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role.
We've signed the Gradcracker feedback pledge.
(This means that we will supply feedback if requested after an interview.)
