Higher Level Quality Assurance Apprenticeship
Babcock International
Plymouth (PL1 4SG)
Closes on Thursday 12 March 2026
Posted on 2 December 2025
Contents
Summary
Looking to gain experience in quality assurance across a diverse range of naval defence projects? If so, our 2-year Higher Level Apprenticeship in Quality Assurance could be the perfect fit for you.
- Wage
-
£21,641 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Year 1: £21,641 Year 2: £27,413 (subject to successful completion of performance requirements)
- Training course
- Quality practitioner (level 4)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday between 9am to 5pm.
35 hours a week
- Start date
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Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
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2 years
- Positions available
-
4
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
Our Quality Assurance apprentices play a vital role in ensuring that our organisation operates at its best by acting as the 'voice of the customer'. They help maintain the highest standards, identify problems, and recommend improvements to ensure our policies, processes, and products are of the highest standards.
As a Quality Assurance apprentice, you will be an integral member of our Quality Management function. You’ll be based at HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, with potential opportunities to travel across the UK.
Over the course of the 2 years, you will work in multiple placements, including:
Audit.
Supplier Quality.
Operational Quality in production facilities
- On board naval warships or nuclear submarines
- Facilities (Nuclear and Non-Nuclear)
- Major Infrastructure Projects
- Business Management Systems
- Welding/Non-Destructive Testing
- Laboratory Services
- Nuclear Facilities Operational Maintenance
Depending on your placement, your typical day could include carrying out external supplier inspections, looking for efficiencies or problem-solving on our production shop floor, or the administration of internal and external audits.
Your tasks could include:
- Supporting senior quality practitioners to formulate a quality strategy
- Inspecting and testing parts and products
- Planning and conducting audits
- Developing Quality Control Plans
- Managing supplier relationships
- Analysing data to identify improvements
- Guiding and supporting others to improve quality, competency and performance
- Developing documents to support new projects
It’s an exciting opportunity where your contributions as a Quality Technician will directly impact the quality and safety of our products, processes, and policies, helping us to continuously improve and keep our operations safe.
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
CAPELLA ASSOCIATES LTD
Training course
Quality practitioner (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Identify, interpret and apply relevant legal, governmental or industry regulations affecting the organisation.
- Communicate using appropriate methods (verbal, written, visual) to influence internal and external stakeholders, using appropriate questioning techniques such as open questions, leading questions.
- Identify, collect and analyse relevant quality data using appropriate tools and techniques such as Pareto analysis, statistical methods and trending analysis.
- Apply methods and tools to improve the quality performance of processes, products and services such as production control plans, standardised work, use of failure modes and effects.
- Identify, analyse and prioritise quality specific risks and opportunities. Support the development, implementation and effectiveness of resulting actions.
- Plan and conduct system, product or process audits.
- Assess the effectiveness of the measurement systems using tool such as Measurement Systems Analysis.
- Identify requirements from technical documents, commercial input or stakeholder statements and converting to definitions that can drive the organisations processes
- Identify gaps in process performance and develop improvement plans to close gaps.
- Apply structured problem solving including identification, definition, measurement, analysis, improvement and control methods and tools.
- Communicate organisational quality strategy to all levels of the organisation.
- Identify who the internal and external stakeholders are and their current and optimal positions (such as hostile, help it work, opposed, uncooperative, indifferent, hesitant, enthusiastic support) required to support quality related activities.
- Identify, interpret and apply relevant legal, governmental or industry regulations affecting the organisation.
- Communicate using appropriate methods (verbal, written, visual) to influence internal and external stakeholders, using appropriate questioning techniques such as open questions, leading questions.
- Identify, collect and analyse relevant quality data using appropriate tools and techniques such as Pareto analysis, statistical methods and trending analysis.
- Apply methods and tools to improve the quality performance of processes, products and services such as production control plans, standardised work, use of failure modes and effects.
- Identify, analyse and prioritise quality specific risks and opportunities. Support the development, implementation and effectiveness of resulting actions.
- Plan and conduct system, product or process audits.
- Assess the effectiveness of the measurement systems using tool such as Measurement Systems Analysis.
- Identify requirements from technical documents, commercial input or stakeholder statements and converting to definitions that can drive the organisations processes
- Identify gaps in process performance and develop improvement plans to close gaps.
- Apply structured problem solving including identification, definition, measurement, analysis, improvement and control methods and tools.
- Communicate organisational quality strategy to all levels of the organisation.
- Identify who the internal and external stakeholders are and their current and optimal positions (such as hostile, help it work, opposed, uncooperative, indifferent, hesitant, enthusiastic support) required to support quality related activities.
Training schedule
You'll study to become a Level 4 Quality Practitioner which aligns with Chartered Quality Institute Practitioner (PCQI) professional recognition.
Your course is designed to equip you with the essential skills and knowledge to excel in the field of quality assurance. Through a mix of theoretical learning and hands-on application, you'll gain the tools you need to thrive.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- Any subject (grade Grade C or above)
- Any subject (grade Grade C or above)
- Any subject (grade Grade C or above)
- English (grade Grade C or above)
- Maths (grade Grade C or above)
A Level in:
- Any subject (grade A-C)
- Any subject (grade A-C)
- Any subject (grade A-C)
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
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 a 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 programme completion, you'll be ready to step into a Quality Technician or Engineer role with a competitive salary starting from £32,000.
From there, your development doesn’t stop. 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:
CAPELLA ASSOCIATES LTD
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000001807.
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.