Engineering Technician Trades Apprenticeship
Babcock International
Plymouth (PL1 4SG)
Closes on Thursday 12 March 2026
Posted on 2 December 2025
Contents
Summary
Ready to learn a skilled trade? On our 3.5-year Engineering Technician Trades Apprenticeship, you’ll develop specialist engineering trade skills and gain hands-on experience maintaining the Royal Navy's fleet.
- Wage
-
£16,513 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Year 1: £16,513 Year 2: £21,124 Year 3: £27,400 Year 4: £32,458
- Training course
- Engineering technician (level 3)
- Hours
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Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
35 hours a week
- Start date
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Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
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3 years 6 months
- Positions available
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101
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
This is no ordinary apprenticeship. Our engineering technicians are at the forefront of maintaining the Royal Navy’s fleet.
As an Engineering Technician, you'll contribute to the design, manufacture, installation, operation or maintenance of systems on ships, submarines and infrastructure.
This varied and exciting programme covers trades including Mechanical, Electrical, Fabrication, CNC Machining, Pipefitting and Welding. You’ll be assigned one of these trade routes to specialise in.
As part of the interview, you will be asked to select your first and second preferred trade choice and explain your reasons for choosing it. This helps us understand your interests, motivations, and how your strengths align with the role.
Wherever you find yourself, you'll gain knowledge and skills in:
- Health and safety
- Planning and documentation
- Engineering mathematical and scientific principles
- Methods and techniques
- Structure, properties and characteristics of materials
- Diagnostic methods to overcome problems
- Interpreting engineering drawings and data
- Adhering to and refining processes and procedures
Where you'll work
Devonport Royal Dockyard
Devonport
Plymouth
PL1 4SG
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
CITY COLLEGE PLYMOUTH
Training course
Engineering technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
Training schedule
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4/C or above)
- Maths (grade 4/C or above)
- Science/Technology (grade 4/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
- Attention to detail
- Team working
Other requirements
Many of our apprenticeship programmes are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold or have held may impact which programmes you are eligible for. For this programme, you must be able to achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and Security Check (SC) clearance. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels
About this employer
Babcock is an international defence company providing support and product solutions to enhance our customers’ defence capabilities and critical assets. We provide through-life technical and engineering support for our customers’ assets, delivering improvements in performance, availability and programme cost. Our c27,700 employees deliver these critical services to defence and civil customers, including engineering support to naval, land, air and nuclear operations, frontline support, specialist training and asset management. We also design and manufacture a range of defence and civil specialist equipment, from naval ship and weapons handling systems to liquid gas handling systems. We also provide integrated, technology-enabled solutions to our defence customers in areas such as secure communications, electronic warfare and air defence.
https://earlycareers.babcockinternational.com/apprenticeships/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
• Fully funded qualification • Personal development training and opportunities • Minimum 28 days holiday allowance including bank holidays • Competitive pension scheme • Employee share scheme • Flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme
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
Upon successfully completing the programme, you’ll become a qualified Engineering Technician, specialising in your chosen field (mechanical fitting, electrical fitting, fabricating, CNC machining, pipefitting or welding). You’ll be expected to stay within this role for three years to help you gain further experience, consolidate your skills, and contribute meaningfully to your team before applying for higher education or other roles within the organisation.
Upon programme completion, you can expect to earn a competitive salary exceeding £35,000.
Through the Babcock Role Framework, you’ll have a clear view of how your career can progress, with mapped-out pathways, development opportunities and the tools you need to get wherever you want to go.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
CITY COLLEGE PLYMOUTH
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000001798.
Apply now
Closes on Thursday 12 March 2026
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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.