2027 Software Engineering Apprentice - Cheadle

Summary

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.

Wage

£24,000 a year

• Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum
• Performance-related pay uplifts

Training course

Digital and technology solutions professional (level 6)

Hours

Monday - Friday (8 hours, Monday - Thursday. 5 hours, Friday).

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 6 September 2027

Duration

4 years

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

As a Software Engineering Apprentice, you will develop the technical knowledge, practical skills and professional behaviours needed to become a confident and capable engineer. Working as part of our Software Engineering team, you will support the delivery of software solutions, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.

Your responsibilities may include:

• Supporting system requirement and design activities
• Developing software solutions to fulfil an actual business need
• Contributing to project reviews
• Assisting with engineering investigations and problem solving
• Communicating technical recommendations to stakeholders
• Working with experienced engineers on live projects

Where you'll work

Dolphin House
Ashurst Drive
Stockport
SK3 0XB

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

Training course

Digital and technology solutions professional (level 6)

What you'll learn

• Analyse a business problem to identify the role of digital and technology solutions.
• Identify risks, determine mitigation strategies and opportunities for improvement in a digital and technology solutions project.
• Analyse a business problem in order to specify an appropriate digital and technology solution.
• Initiate, design, code, test and debug a software component for a digital and technology solution.
• Apply relevant standard processes, methods, techniques and tools. For example, ISO Standards, Waterfall, Agile in a digital and technology solution project.
• Manage digital and technology solutions projects. For example, identifying and resolving deviations from specification, applying appropriate Project Management methodologies.
• Work effectively within teams, leading on appropriate digital technology solution activities.
• Apply relevant organisational theories. For example, change management principles, marketing approaches, strategic practice, and IT service management to a digital and technology solutions project.
• Apply relevant security and resilience techniques to a digital and technology solution. For example, risk assessments, mitigation strategies.
• Initiate, design, implement and debug a data product for a digital and technology solution.
• Determine and use appropriate data analysis techniques. For example, Text, Statistical, Diagnostic or Predictive Analysis to assess a digital and technology solutions.
• Plan, design and manage simple computer networks with an overall focus on the services and capabilities that network infrastructure solutions enable in an organisational context.
• Report effectively to colleagues and stakeholders using the appropriate language and style, to meet the needs of the audience concerned.
• Research, investigate, and evaluate innovative technologies or approaches in the development of a digital and technology solution.
• Apply relevant legal, ethical, social and professional standards to a digital and technology solution.
• Identify and define software engineering problems that are non-routine and incompletely specified.
• Provide recommendations as to the most appropriate software engineering solution.
• Use appropriate analysis methods, approaches and techniques in software engineering projects to deliver an outcome that meets requirements.
• Implement software engineering projects using appropriate software engineering methods, approaches and techniques.
• Respond to changing priorities and problems arising within software engineering projects by making revised recommendations, and adapting plans as necessary, to fit the scenario being investigated.
• Determine, refine, adapt and use appropriate software engineering methods, approaches and techniques to evaluate software engineering project outcomes.
• Evaluate learning points arising from software engineering work undertaken on a project including use of methods, analysis undertaken, selection of approach and the outcome achieved, in order to identify both lessons learnt and recommendations for improvements to future projects.
• Extend and update software development knowledge with evidence from professional and academic sources by undertaking appropriate research to inform best practice and lead improvements in the organisation.
• Analyse client needs and determine how to advise them strategically through improved business processes, new ideas, or technology solutions.
• Effectively communicate value add to the client through a variety of media. For example, presentations, written reports, Storytelling in a professional setting through performing socio-technical process improvements in a range of environments.
• Make evidence based recommendations taking into account risks, costs, and benefits.
• Participate in walk-throughs for Information Technologies, to identify, document and evaluate key risks within a client’s organisation.
• Perform stakeholder analysis to identify, determine and deepen understanding of system requirements and develop client relationships.
• Effect change within an organisation through evaluation of a new system, process or initiative.
• Ensure legal and ethical requirements are accommodated in the development of digital and technology solutions.
• Evaluate the  success of new systems, processes, or initiatives.
• Use requirements elicitation, analysis and documentation to produce an acceptable solution for business problems or further opportunities.
• Conduct Process Analysis, Definition, Mapping and Modelling within a business situation without supervision.
• Produce Use Cases which are of value to all stakeholders of a system.
• Use tools and benchmarking to support modelling and requirements gathering and recommend approaches to team members as required.
• Produce a business case to scope a proposed project including business benefits and recommendations.
• Use products of analysis in the design and development of a system.
• Evaluate the impacts of model selection and how they inter-relate with each other when generating business analytics.
• Recommend and use appropriate software tools to implement Business Analysis tasks and outcomes.
• Discover, identify and analyse security threats, attack techniques and vulnerabilities and recommend mitigation and security controls.
• Undertake security risk assessments for complex systems without direct supervision and propose a remediation strategy relevant to the context of the organisation.
• Recommend improvements to the cyber security approaches of an organisation based on research into future potential cyber threats and considering threat trends.
• Manage cyber security risk.
• Use appropriate cyber security technology, tools and techniques in relation to the risks identified.
• Lead cyber security awareness campaigns and evaluate their effectiveness.
• Analyse cyber security requirements against other design requirements for systems or products, identify conflicting requirements and recommend appropriate solutions with clear explanation of costs and benefits.
• Lead the design and build of systems in accordance with a security case to address organisational challenges.
• Define Data Requirements and perform Data Collection, Data Processing and Data Cleansing.
• Apply different types of Data Analysis, as appropriate, to drive improvements for specific business problems.
• Find, present, communicate and disseminate data analysis outputs effectively and with high impact through creative storytelling, tailoring the message for the audience. Visualise data to tell compelling and actionable narratives by using the best medium for each audience, such as charts, graphs and dashboards.
• Identify barriers to effective analysis encountered both by analysts and their stakeholders within data analysis projects.
• Apply a range of techniques for analysing quantitative data such as data mining, time series forecasting, algorithms, statistics and modelling techniques to identify and predict trends and patterns in data.
• Apply exploratory or confirmatory approaches to analysing data. Validate and and test stability of the results.
• Extract data from a range of sources. For example, databases, web services, open data.
• Analyse in detail large data sets, using a range of industry standard tools and data analysis methods.
• Identify and collate stakeholder needs in relation to computer network requirements, plans and designs.
• Plan, design, document, and develop the relevant elements of a computer network within an organisation or between organisations, taking into account customer requirements (performance, scale), constraints (budget, equipment availability), and define policies for their use.
• Monitor performance and ensure networks are configured correctly and perform as expected by designers or architects. Undertake capacity management and audit of IP addressing and hosted devices.
• Investigate, troubleshoot and resolve data network faults in local and wide area environments, using information from multiple sources, Physically or Remotely by console connection. Recommend and implement short term fixes to restore service and, or, quality of experience and recommend longer term changes to prevent recurrence or reduce impact of future occurrences.
• Implement computer networks from a design including testing and validation. This includes populating variables in configurations, for example, IP addresses and subsequent application of configuration to equipment such as routers, switches, firewalls.
• Secure network systems by establishing and enforcing policies, and defining and monitoring access. Support and administer firewall environments in line with IT security policy.
• Research and evaluate emerging network technologies and assess relevance to current network requirements. Provide an objective opinion on how new features and technologies may be incorporated as required by the organisation.
• Investigate security concerns or attacks. For example, Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS), port scanning, assessing key metrics and indicators, evidencing the chosen steps to mitigate.
• Analyse a business problem to identify the role of digital and technology solutions.
• Identify risks, determine mitigation strategies and opportunities for improvement in a digital and technology solutions project.
• Analyse a business problem in order to specify an appropriate digital and technology solution.
• Initiate, design, code, test and debug a software component for a digital and technology solution.
• Apply relevant standard processes, methods, techniques and tools. For example, ISO Standards, Waterfall, Agile in a digital and technology solution project.
• Manage digital and technology solutions projects. For example, identifying and resolving deviations from specification, applying appropriate Project Management methodologies.
• Work effectively within teams, leading on appropriate digital technology solution activities.
• Apply relevant organisational theories. For example, change management principles, marketing approaches, strategic practice, and IT service management to a digital and technology solutions project.
• Apply relevant security and resilience techniques to a digital and technology solution. For example, risk assessments, mitigation strategies.
• Initiate, design, implement and debug a data product for a digital and technology solution.
• Determine and use appropriate data analysis techniques. For example, Text, Statistical, Diagnostic or Predictive Analysis to assess a digital and technology solutions.
• Plan, design and manage simple computer networks with an overall focus on the services and capabilities that network infrastructure solutions enable in an organisational context.
• Report effectively to colleagues and stakeholders using the appropriate language and style, to meet the needs of the audience concerned.
• Research, investigate, and evaluate innovative technologies or approaches in the development of a digital and technology solution.
• Apply relevant legal, ethical, social and professional standards to a digital and technology solution.

Training schedule

Apprenticeship Programme

You will study towards a Level 6 Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship with Manchester Metropolitan University.

As a Software Engineering Apprentice, you’ll develop a broad set of skills and knowledge across the digital and technology landscape. You’ll learn how information systems work, how software is built and tested, and how data and cyber security fit into real business environments—alongside the fundamentals of business organisation, IT project management, and computer and network infrastructures.

Your learning is supported through taught units and work-based projects, where possible focused on live business scenarios and real-world problem solving, with experienced support throughout.

For the duration of this 4-year programme you will attend Manchester Metropolitan University one day per week to study.  For the other four days you will be working at our Cheadle site, applying your learning to real work projects and gain a breadth of experience with your teammates.  At the end of the apprenticeship, you will be working as a Software Engineer within the Thales UK businesses.

The programme is delivered through a blended learning approach, combining:

• On campus teaching, face to face one day a week during the academic year
• Online workshops/classes
• Guided self-study

Throughout the 4-year programme, you will combine university study with practical workplace experience, developing both academic knowledge and professional engineering skills.

More training information

Throughout the apprenticeship, you will gain experience and knowledge in:

• Professional engineering behaviours and industry best practice
• Working securely, ethically and responsibly with complex data in compliance with regulatory standards
• The Software Engineering lifecycle and key engineering processes
• Software Engineering tools and methods
• Requirement management, design techniques, and software code implementation
• Testing, integration, verification, validation and qualification (IVVQ) activities
• Structured and methodical approaches to problem solving and investigation

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

5 subjects including Maths & English (grade 9 - 4 or A-C)

A Level in:

any subjects (grade 104 UCAS points - B, C, C)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Administrative skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative

Other requirements

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. 

In addition, this role supports a UK Eyes Only programme and is therefore subject to government-mandated nationality restrictions. To satisfy the security clearance requirements for access to highly sensitive information, applicants must have been British citizens from birth and must not hold any other nationality. This requirement is determined by the UK Government and is a condition of programme access rather than an employment preference.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link:

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity, and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.