V05022 - Higher Apprentice Finance

BAE SYSTEMS PLC

Cumbria (LA14 1AF)

Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026

Posted on 10 November 2025


Summary

The Finance Team: Our role is to support by way of agreeing contracts with customers, monitoring subsequent performance against budgets and implementing relevant financial reporting mechanisms that consider all of our large scale, multi-year complex manufacturing programmes that exist across our boat programmes.

Wage

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

We offer a competitive salary with annual increases throughout the apprenticeship and a range of employee benefits including, free higher education as well as access to the Company pension and share saving scheme

Training course
Professional accounting technician (level 4)
Hours
Shift to be confirmed

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 14 September 2026

Duration

5 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

  • Start your finance career with Level 4 Finance Higher Apprenticeship
  • Two-year programme combining structured learning and working on practical experience
  • Work across finance teams while studying for CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting
  • Gain skills in communication, analysis, and problem-solving through role rotations
  • Study support, mentoring, and tailored development
  • Potential progression onto Level 7 Finance Degree Apprenticeship, achieving Chartered Accountant status

Where you'll work

BAE Systems
1st Floor, Main Shipyard Offices
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA14 1AF

Training

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

Training provider

KAPLAN FINANCIAL LIMITED

Training course

Professional accounting technician (level 4)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Collate and analyse financial information, and show how that information can be used most effectively to support value creation within an organisation.
  • Apply accounting principles and adhere to legislation to ensure records are accurate and compliant with law or company policy when delivering accounting activities, such as the financial accounting of single entities, limited companies or partnerships or management accounting activities for an organisation.
  • Apply professional scepticism when undertaking accounting activities to inform and evaluate decision making on the content of true and fair accounts, being alert to conditions that may indicate possible misstatement of financial information due to error or fraud, establishing the facts sensitively and being aware of unconscious bias.
  • Interpret financial information for accounting purposes, such as using judgement to determine the correct way to report or account for transaction or undertaking ratio analysis.
  • Participate in or support others with quality improvement activities, for example the improvement of personal working practices.
  • Use software packages to assist with accounting tasks in line with cyber and data security requirements, using data securely and safely, including backing up data.
  • Deliver accounting tasks with a critical eye to transactions and trends, demonstrating a ‘right first time approach’.
  • Use workload management principles to plan, organise and prioritise own tasks, and manage time effectively.
  • Use accounting information to add value to the organisation through use of data visualisations, analysis and interpretation, and communicate financial information in a way that facilitates understanding for non-finance stakeholders.
  • Communicate accounting information through a variety of media to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required, considering the risks and benefits to the organisation of social media and other digital applications.
  • Build and maintain collaborative, professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver accounting tasks, recognising the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Collate and analyse financial information, and show how that information can be used most effectively to support value creation within an organisation.
  • Apply accounting principles and adhere to legislation to ensure records are accurate and compliant with law or company policy when delivering accounting activities, such as the financial accounting of single entities, limited companies or partnerships or management accounting activities for an organisation.
  • Apply professional scepticism when undertaking accounting activities to inform and evaluate decision making on the content of true and fair accounts, being alert to conditions that may indicate possible misstatement of financial information due to error or fraud, establishing the facts sensitively and being aware of unconscious bias.
  • Interpret financial information for accounting purposes, such as using judgement to determine the correct way to report or account for transaction or undertaking ratio analysis.
  • Participate in or support others with quality improvement activities, for example the improvement of personal working practices.
  • Use software packages to assist with accounting tasks in line with cyber and data security requirements, using data securely and safely, including backing up data.
  • Deliver accounting tasks with a critical eye to transactions and trends, demonstrating a ‘right first time approach’.
  • Use workload management principles to plan, organise and prioritise own tasks, and manage time effectively.
  • Use accounting information to add value to the organisation through use of data visualisations, analysis and interpretation, and communicate financial information in a way that facilitates understanding for non-finance stakeholders.
  • Communicate accounting information through a variety of media to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required, considering the risks and benefits to the organisation of social media and other digital applications.
  • Build and maintain collaborative, professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver accounting tasks, recognising the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Training schedule

Professional Accounting Technician Level 4.

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

5 GCSE Inc Maths, English & Science or Technical (grade A*-C or 9-4 (or equivalent))

A Level in:

Maths, Science- or Technical (grade 96 UCAS points, C or above)

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

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Organisation skills
  • Team working

About this employer

At BAE Systems, we provide some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions. We employ a skilled workforce of more than 93,000 people in around 40 countries. Working with customers and local partners, we develop, engineer, manufacture, and support products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.

https://careers.baesystems.com/locations/uk/apprentices (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing & lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts.

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Approximately 95% of apprentices choose to stay on with us. As a global business there are a world of opportunities - whether you decide to stay in the UK or explore an overseas role.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

KAPLAN FINANCIAL LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000350463.

Apply now

Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026

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