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2027 Systems Engineering Apprentice - Crawley

Thales UK Limited · Crawley · posted 5 October 2026

Wage
£24,000 a year
Hours
37 hours a week
Duration
4 Years
Level
Degree (Level 6)
Standard
Product design and development engineer (degree) (level 6)
Starts
6 September 2027
Closing date
17 February 2027
Positions
9

Apply on the official government service →No Apprentice League account needed — we never gate applications.

As a Systems 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 Systems Engineering team, you will support the delivery of systems and equipment solutions, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.

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:

  • Professional engineering behaviours and industry best practice
  • Understanding and working with complex engineering systems
  • Different engineering roles and activities across live projects
  • The Systems Engineering Lifecycle and key engineering processes
  • Requirements capture, requirements management and system design techniques
  • Systems engineering tools and methods
  • Testing, integration, verification, validation and qualification (IVVQ) activities
  • Structured and methodical approaches to problem solving and investigation

Your training

You will study towards the BEng Applied Professional Engineering Degree Apprenticeship with The University of Warwick, following the Product Design and Development Engineer pathway.

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

  • On-campus teaching (approximately 12 blocks of 3 days)
  • Virtual coaching sessions
  • Online learning resources

Programme structure:

This is a broad programme, designed to provide a strong multi-disciplinary engineering foundation prior to moving onto a more specialist pathway.

Years 1 and 2

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Materials and Design
  • Computational skills

Years 3 and 4

  • Progress onto the Design and Development Engineer specialist pathway
  • Work based project
     

Throughout the four-year programme, you will combine university study with practical workplace experience, developing both academic knowledge and professional engineering skills. Aligned to the IET accreditation requirements, this degree will support those looking to become a Chartered Engineer in future.

Where it leads

  • Will qualify and be a permanent member of the team within the Thales business

About Thales UK Limited

Together, we create the ingenious technological systems and innovations that impact and improve people's lives every single day. Even if you haven't heard the name Thales before, you've definitely benefited from our inventiveness. We reinvest 20% of our sales in Research & Development in the UK. Together we supply invention across 4 core areas: Aerospace, Space, Defence and Security, Digital Identity and Security.

Things to consider

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.

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.

Skills they're looking for

Communication skillsIT skillsAttention to detailOrganisation skillsProblem solving skillsAdministrative skillsNumber skillsAnalytical skillsLogicalTeam working

Entry requirements

  • GCSE 5 GCSEs incl. Maths & English (grade A-C or 9-4) — essential
  • A Level Maths and a further STEM subject (grade BB minimum of 112 UCAS points) — essential

Where you'll work

  • Manor Royal, Crawley, RH10 9HA

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