Level 6 Academy Engineer Degree Apprenticeship

Turn your curiosity into a career.

If you're passionate about engineering, eager to learn, and looking for an apprenticeship that combines academic study with exciting on-the-job experience, we'd love to hear from you. Our Mechatronics apprenticeship will let you explore different types of engineering before you make an informed decision to specialise in relevant disciple of engineering.

Benefits of the programme:

• Earn a salary while studying for your apprenticeship
• Gain hands-on experience in a real engineering environment
• Receive job-specific training and development
• Achieve a recognised engineering qualification
• Tuition fees for approved training providers are fully covered
• Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship

About the Role

• As an Engineering Apprentice, you’ll be learning and building real mechatronic engineering skills - This will help you can grow into a confident, positive, and flexible engineer. You’ll develop a strong technical base and get the chance to work on challenging engineering problems as part of a supportive team.
• Mechatronics is where mechanical engineering, electronics, and software come together - so you’ll learn how to think through design, how to create solutions, and how technology helps make systems work automatically.
• In this role, you’ll help the team deliver solutions to meet deadlines, quality expectations, and budget. You’ll learn how good engineering decisions are made - balancing performance, cost, and manufacturability all while working with different parts of the business.

How this helps you grow:

• Build practical, transferable engineering skills: you won’t just learn theory - you’ll learn how designs are made ready for real-world production.
• Become more confident in engineering problem-solving: you’ll work with guidance, but you’ll also learn how to break down challenges and find solutions.
• Understand how engineering decisions are made: you’ll see how cost, quality, and performance trade-offs come into the design process.
• Learn through teamwork: you’ll collaborate with people from different disciplines and begin building professional communication skills.

What You Will Learn

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

• How our business works, especially across Engineering, including software, hardware, and systems
• Engineering and the wider business, together - you’ll be exposed to other functions outside Engineering, so you fully understand how we’re set up and how decisions get made
• Learning from the people who make it all happen - you’ll work with key stakeholders across the business, alongside experienced, long-tenured experts and our leadership teams
• Building your network - you’ll join a large community of future talent (including apprentices, graduates, and interns), helping you grow through connections and shared learning
• Growing your capability through rotation - you’ll develop through a designed pathway with internal rotational programmes, ensuring you get the right experience in the right teams

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 1st 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 2nd year 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

A Levels

• 112 UCAS points (A Level BBC) to include Grade B in a STEM Subject (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Technology & Design, 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

• 5 GCSE's 9-4 (A-C), including Maths and English.

Please Note: due to funding obligations (i) applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme (ii) this opportunity is available in Belfast and open to all Northern Ireland residents. In addition, Right to Work in the UK for the duration of the programme is necessary

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)
• Contributory Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Hybrid/flexible working options
• Employee assistance programme
• Learning and development support
• Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives
• Life Cover
• 80 Hours Volunteering per year (first two years)

Apply

Thales Apprentice Recruitment Process

• 1. Apply Online - submit your application online to register your interest. You only need to register for one role as you will have the opportunity to apply for additional roles at the full application stage.
• 2. Upload Your CV
• 3. Check your emails for the invitation to apply – this will come from View email address on higherin.com
• 4. 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.
• 5. Complete Online Tests - undertake the online assessments designed to evaluate your suitability for the role.
• 6. 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.
• 7. Job Offer – successful candidates who perform well throughout the recruitment process will receive a job offer from Thales.

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 Thales Future Talent - Connectr.

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027. Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 17 February 2027, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2027 with details of next steps.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ROLES MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN THE ADVERTISED DEADLINE IF WE RECEIVE A HIGH NUMER 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.

About the Company

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

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.