Welding Apprenticeship
Babcock International
Bristol (BS3 2HQ)
Closes on Thursday 12 March 2026
Posted on 2 December 2025
Contents
Summary
Interested in becoming an elite welder creating safety-critical products? Launch your career through our fantastic 4-year Welding Apprenticeship.
- Wage
-
£17,001 a year
- Training course
- Plate welder (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday
9am to 5pm
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
4 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
This isn’t your typical welding job. Join us, and you’ll train in state-of-the-art facilities to achieve top-tier standards. You will learn to weld complex joints using TIG, MIG, MAG, Manual Metal Arc, and Flux-Cored Arc welding techniques, making you a highly skilled specialist.
Working alongside experts, you’ll collaborate on products like submarine components to help keep navies safe at sea. When lives depend on quality, attention to detail matters.
Gaining hands-on experience, you’ll:
- Excel at welding complex joints in metals
- Achieve stringent codes for naval welding quality
- Hone workshop skills like machining and hand-fitting
- Diagnose and solve challenging welding defects
- Operate the latest robotic welding equipment
Where you'll work
Ashton House
Ashton Vale Road
Bristol
BS3 2HQ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
WESTON COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Training course
Plate welder (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Work safely at all times, comply with health, safety and environmental legislation, regulations and organisational requirements.
- Can obtain, check and use appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, quality control documentation).
- Plan and prepare welding activities before commencing the work.
- Obtain, position and assemble welding equipment and associated safety protection needed for activity.
- Prepare, check and protect materials and work areas ready for welding.
- Inspect assembly to be welded and undertake remedial work to comply with specification, or implement quality steps if rejected.
- Receive, inspect, condition and maintain consumables.
- Set, test and monitor key welding parameters as detailed within the Welding Procedure Specification.
- Deal promptly and effectively with problems within the limits of their responsibility using approved diagnostic methods and techniques and report those which cannot be resolved to the appropriate personnel.
- Use manual processes and equipment to remove material (powered and non‐powered).
- Achieves a quality of work to meet international standards e.g. ISO5817, ISO9606, ASME IX, AWS D1.1 for dimensional, surface inspection (e.g. Visual, Magnetic Particle, Dye Penetrant) and volumetric inspection (e.g. Radiography, Ultrasonic inspection).
- Complete progressive and final checks on the weld prior to release for formal inspection and report into the production control system at the appropriate stages of the work activity.
- Restore the work area on completion of the activity and where applicable return any resources and consumables to the appropriate location.
- Produce welds in plate and/or structural components using two welding processes from TIG, PAW, MMA, MIG/MAG, FCAW.
- Produce welds in plate and/or structural components using two materials from Carbon Steel, Low Alloy Steel, High Alloy Ferritic/Martensitic Steel, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Nickel & Nickel Alloys, Aluminium & Aluminium alloys, Titanium & Titanium Alloys, Copper & Copper Alloys.
- Produce welds in plate and/or structural components covering three plate welding positions which must include Vertical (either upward or downward progression) and overhead.
- Produce plate welds in 3 main joint configurations (Single or Double Sided Butt, Single or Double Sided T‐Butt & Fillet)
- Work safely at all times, comply with health, safety and environmental legislation, regulations and organisational requirements.
- Can obtain, check and use appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, quality control documentation).
- Plan and prepare welding activities before commencing the work.
- Obtain, position and assemble welding equipment and associated safety protection needed for activity.
- Prepare, check and protect materials and work areas ready for welding.
- Inspect assembly to be welded and undertake remedial work to comply with specification, or implement quality steps if rejected.
- Receive, inspect, condition and maintain consumables.
- Set, test and monitor key welding parameters as detailed within the Welding Procedure Specification.
- Deal promptly and effectively with problems within the limits of their responsibility using approved diagnostic methods and techniques and report those which cannot be resolved to the appropriate personnel.
- Use manual processes and equipment to remove material (powered and non‐powered).
- Achieves a quality of work to meet international standards e.g. ISO5817, ISO9606, ASME IX, AWS D1.1 for dimensional, surface inspection (e.g. Visual, Magnetic Particle, Dye Penetrant) and volumetric inspection (e.g. Radiography, Ultrasonic inspection).
- Complete progressive and final checks on the weld prior to release for formal inspection and report into the production control system at the appropriate stages of the work activity.
- Restore the work area on completion of the activity and where applicable return any resources and consumables to the appropriate location.
- Produce welds in plate and/or structural components using two welding processes from TIG, PAW, MMA, MIG/MAG, FCAW.
- Produce welds in plate and/or structural components using two materials from Carbon Steel, Low Alloy Steel, High Alloy Ferritic/Martensitic Steel, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Nickel & Nickel Alloys, Aluminium & Aluminium alloys, Titanium & Titanium Alloys, Copper & Copper Alloys.
- Produce welds in plate and/or structural components covering three plate welding positions which must include Vertical (either upward or downward progression) and overhead.
- Produce plate welds in 3 main joint configurations (Single or Double Sided Butt, Single or Double Sided T‐Butt & Fillet)
Training schedule
You'll study towards the Level 3 Plate Welder Apprenticeship standard at Weston College, developing the knowledge and competencies for your role
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English Language (grade 4(C) and above)
- Maths (grade 4(C) and above)
- Science (grade 4(C) and 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
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
- After qualifying, you’ll begin an exciting career as a coded welder at Babcock
- With your advanced skills, you can progress to roles like welding engineer
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
WESTON COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000002486.
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.