2027 Mechanical Engineering Apprentice - Templecombe
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Company: THALES UK LIMITED
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Location: Templecombe, BA8 0DH
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Type: Apprenticeship
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Salary: £24,000.00 per year
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Sector: Engineering and manufacturing
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Ref: NAS-2000057266
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Application Deadline Date: 17/02/2027
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Start Date: 06/09/2027
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Positions Available: 1
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Working Week: Monday - Thursday, 8 hours per day. Friday, 5 hours. Exact timings to be confirmed.
Brief Description
As a Mechanical Engineer at Thales in Templecombe, you'll be part of a team developing advanced underwater naval systems used by the UK Ministry of Defence and customers around the world. You'll help design, test and improve cutting-edge defence technology whilst shaping the role around your strengths and career interests.
Training to be Provided
You'll work towards a Level 6 Electro-Mechanical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship with the University of Nottingham while gaining valuable hands-on experience in the workplace.
The programme lasts five years and combines:
- On-campus learning (approx. 4 weeks per academic year)
- Online study
- Practical, work-based learning
Throughout the programme, you'll develop both your technical knowledge and practical engineering skills.
On successful completion of the apprenticeship and End Point Assessment, you'll achieve:
- A fully funded BEng (Hons) in Electro-Mechanical Engineering
- A Level 6 Electro-Mechanical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship qualification
The programme is accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers to support those who wish to apply for Chartered Engineer status later in their career.
Future Prospects
Upon completion of the programme, you will have achieved a BSc in Electro-mechanical Engineering, a Level 6-degree apprenticeship qualification and will move into a permanent role within the business. The degree is accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
Vacancy Detail
Your responsibilities may include:
- Designing mechanical parts and systems using CAD software
Packaging of electronics and associated cabling - Designing equipment that can be installed on military platforms
- Producing manufacturing and assembly drawings for production teams
- Understanding factors such as stress, shock and vibration when designing products
- Building and testing prototypes during product development
- Helping qualify products for use in demanding operational environments
- Applying design-for-manufacture principles to create practical and efficient solutions
During this role, you'll gain valuable experience across the full product development lifecycle while working with experienced engineers and advanced defence technologies.
You will learn:
- Advanced CAD design techniques and best practices
- How electronic and mechanical systems are integrated into complex products
- Engineering design principles for defence and naval applications
- How to create professional manufacturing and assembly drawings
- Product testing, environmental qualification and validation processes
- Prototype building and hands-on development skills
- Design for manufacture principles to improve product quality and efficiency
- How defence products are developed for the Ministry of Defence and international customers
- Teamworking and problem-solving skills within a multi-disciplinary engineering environment
Other Information
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:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.