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.

2027 Manufacturing Apprentice - Level 3 Apprenticeship in Engineering NI (Level 2 en-route)

Start Date: 6 September 2027

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Employee type: Permanent

Location: Belfast (applicants must have been resident in Northern Ireland for the past 5 years)

Working hours (37 hours per week):

Year 1: 4.5-day week

• • Mon–Thu: 07:00–15:45 (8.25 hours per day)
  • Friday: 08:00–12:00

Years 2 & 3: 4-day week

• • Mon–Thu: 07:00–16:45 (9.25 hours per day)

Turn your curiosity into a career. If you’re passionate about manufacturing or engineering, eager to learn, and looking for an apprenticeship that combines structured training with hands-on experience at Thales, we’d love to hear from you.

This apprenticeship is a great fit if you’re serious about committing to learning and development. You’ll need to be a self-starter who can manage your time, show initiative, and has a genuine interest in manufacturing and in Thales. Successful candidates will demonstrate self-discipline and a strong desire to achieve the qualification. 

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 support for personal 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
• Ongoing guidance and support from a dedicated Future Talent Manager

About the Role:

As a Manufacturing Apprentice at Thales Belfast, you will work on our high-precision production lines, supporting the delivery of high-quality components and assemblies that meet customer requirements. You’ll learn how to perform to production standards, contribute to efficient manufacturing, and develop the skills needed to perform safely and effectively in a fast-moving engineering environment.

During the 3-year apprenticeship, you will complete:

• Year 1: Rotations across manufacturing operations, spending time in different manufacturing areas to build the foundations needed to achieve performance requirements for component and assembly production. This will be aligned to the required quality standards and the master production schedule.
• Year 2: 2 x six-month rotations across manufacturing.
• Year 3: A one-year specialism, building deeper expertise in your chosen trade specialism within the manufacturing activity spectrum—such as mechanical assembly, electrical assembly, or mechatronic assembly.

What You Will Learn:

Throughout the apprenticeship, you will develop the technical knowledge, practical skills and experience in:

• Professional engineering behaviours and industry best practice
• Working as part of a highly skilled and adaptable team
• Understanding and working with complex engineering systems
• Working from engineering drawings and manufacturing instruction sheets
• The Manufacturing Lifecycle and key engineering processes
• Lean methodology
• Manufacturing tools and methods
• Structured and methodical approaches to problem solving and investigation

Apprenticeship Programme:

Year 1 - As a Manufacturing Apprentice you will undertake a Level 2 Engineering Apprenticeship (NI) at South Eastern Regional College, working towards a Level 2 NVQ in Performing Engineering Operations.

Year 2 & 3 - You will then progress onto a Level 3 Manufacturing or Mechatronic Apprenticeship to achieve the BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering at South Eastern Regional College, at Thales you will be documenting your practical trade skills by working towards a Level 3 NVQ in Manufacturing Engineering.

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

• On-campus teaching
• Virtual coaching sessions
• Online learning resources

Programme structure:

You will be given paid day release to attend college (SERC) each week alongside your day-to-day duties as a Manufacturing Apprentice. In your first year, you will attend Thales IAS UK College at Skills for Success on Friday mornings, from 08:00–12:00, where you will further develop the skills needed to work as part of a highly skilled team.

Entry Requirements:

To apply, you will need:

• 5 GCSES grade 9-4 (A-C) including English and Maths

• Applicants must have been resident in Northern Ireland for the past 5 years

Benefits:

·       Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum

·       Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)

·       Contributory Company Pension

·       Health Care Cash Plan

·       Employee assistance programme

·       Learning and development support

·       Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives

·       Life Cover

·       80 Hours fully paid Volunteering per year (first two years)

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 [email protected]

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.

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

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. Read more about our benefits here.
 

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.

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