Project Controls Degree Apprenticeship

CAVENDISH NUCLEAR LIMITED

Bristol, Newbury, Warrington

Closes on Thursday 18 December 2025

Posted on 10 October 2025

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Contents

Summary

Interested in shaping the future of nuclear projects? Join our 4-year Project Controls Degree Apprenticeship and you’ll make a valuable difference in this exciting sector while gaining a BSc (Hons) Degree in Project Controls from the University of Cumbria.

Wage

£22,800 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Year 1 £22,800 Year 2 £25,993 Year 3 £29,186 Year 4 £32,380

Training course
Project controls professional (level 6)
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm.

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

As a Project Controls Apprentice, you'll be immersed in the technical disciplines of Cost Engineering, Estimating, Planning, Scheduling and Risk Management. Working alongside some of the most experienced and supportive individuals in the industry, you'll:

  • Assist in producing estimates, plans, and schedules.

  • Work on various reports to track and monitor project delivery across a spectrum of nuclear engineering and decommissioning projects.

  • Receive training in our project controls systems.

Where you'll work

You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

  • Bristol, BS16 1EJ
  • Rivergate House, Newbury Business Park, London Road, Newbury, RG14 2PZ
  • Warrington, WA4 6HL

Training

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

Training provider

THE UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA

Training course

Project controls professional (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Determine, implement, adapt and refine the project controls procedures, methods and systems incorporating the relevant employer organisation management systems and procedures including quality, data management and security, document and version control and record keeping.
  • Use project controls related software and IT systems for tasks such as: planning and scheduling, cost management, cost and risk analysis, estimating, progress and performance monitoring and reporting; identify and select the right software package for the task
  • Application of and the integration of, software and IT systems to enhance the level of data processing. For example, the use of technology including BIM.
  • Technical and engineering principles: interpret technical information from different sources, identify and know the correct data and elements to monitor and control to ensure the basis for any recommendations are credible; review and interpret technical project documents (including scopes of work and engineering drawings etc.).
  • Breakdown and coding structures: develop and implement coding structures as well as critiquing and reviewing technical coding and breakdown structures to ensure they provide a basis for project control.
  • Lead the creation of comprehensive project control plans and reporting frameworks that identify the right contextual elements to track and the working assumptions to use, in order to generate meaningful controls data, ensuring that project controls deliverables are achievable and in line with project objectives
  • Lead the preparation of the strategy for the development and maintenance of the baseline for control taking into account scope definition and schedule, risk and cost (ensuring alignment between cost and schedule using the coding structures).
  • Implement and enforce project control change procedures, judge against evidence and decide if a change is within or without scope, evaluate its impact to profitability and make recommendations or implement the change in a manner that reflects its scale
  • Ensure that project control work is undertaken in accordance with HSE regulations and requirements including applying knowledge of HSE with awareness of how it impacts on project control schedules and costs and ensuring that the schedule and resourcing for a project meets the requirements of regulations (including CDM and safety) and can be delivered in accordance with the requirements i.e. ensure everything is in place and accounted for to ensure the project can run safely.
  • Identify opportunities within their remit in projects to contribute to net carbon zero and environmental sustainability, and then take action to minimise the environmental impact of the project
  • Undertake project control work in accordance with ethics, codes of conduct and duty of care.
  • Data assurance: challenge, verify and validate data reports and data to ensure their integrity, timeliness and technical appropriateness
  • Identify stakeholders across the project for example: those to work with when developing estimates, schedules, and plans and those to deliver controls information and recommendations to. Modify communication style and method to stakeholders, for example to gather information needed.
  • Risk management and analysis: undertake quantitative and qualitative analysis of risks and lead regular reviews of risks and related assumptions in the project risk register such as questioning their presence and relevance in order to underpin the management of the project risk register.
  • Identify opportunities to use data analysis techniques to benefit project controls delivery such as automating repetitive processes or improving data quality or extracting deeper insights and, validate the related data analysis to ensure correct interpretation against which effective decisions can be made.
  • Commercial matters: identification and application of subcontract/supplier deliverables to project control in order to provide the ability to monitor subcontractor/supplier performance and create, record and store project controls content in support of legal and contractual requirements.;
  • Create project controls content to inform tenders and evaluate invitations to tender received and bid responses
  • Prepare an estimating framework and make recommendations on classes of estimate to meet project needs at different project stages
  • Use an evidence based approach to select and apply the most suitable estimating technique for the purpose and undertake estimate assurance, cost risk analysis, prepare related detailed basis of estimate narratives that are evidenced and explanatory - setting out the risks, assumptions, probabilities, uncertainties and contingencies in order to provide a sound basis for decision making
  • Prepare planning and scheduling strategic frameworks and make recommendations on different levels of plans and schedules to meet different project needs for example, milestones or detailed engineer schedules.
  • Use an evidence based approach to create credible, achievable control schedules, applying relevant assumptions and contingency and undertaking schedule assurance, schedule risk analysis and compile a related basis of schedule that is explanatory, setting out the risks, assumptions, probabilities, uncertainties, contingencies, dependencies and constraints.
  • Model the potential for efficiency against time, cost and quality, review and make recommendations.
  • Apply cost engineering practice to: recast the estimate and set the budget baseline and; select and apply proven cost control techniques to capture actual commitment and expenditure data with appropriate use of accruals; and integrate cost and schedule data to develop project cashflow projections and assessments of value of work done over time.
  • Monitor and control project progress and performance by establishing a progress baseline and selecting and applying the right analysis techniques (for example, earned value analysis) for the size and complexity of the project.
  • Control and monitor project progress and performance by selecting and applying the right analysis techniques (for example, earned value analysis) for the size and complexity of the project
  • Identify variations from the progress baseline and assess their potential impact, explain the variations to the project, portfolio or programme manager.
  • Communicate and justify own conclusions and recommendations for example for project recovery or to lead to improved project delivery by influencing and, when necessary, challenging key stakeholders to make informed decisions. Key stakeholders include the project manager, portfolio manager or programme manager
  • Steer across project controls functions in accordance with organisational core values and specific guidelines; mentor and coach team members such as Project Controls Technicians to meet project control requirements.
  • Apply continuous improvement approaches for example using emerging technologies and lessons learnt from previous projects.
  • Determine, implement, adapt and refine the project controls procedures, methods and systems incorporating the relevant employer organisation management systems and procedures including quality, data management and security, document and version control and record keeping.
  • Use project controls related software and IT systems for tasks such as: planning and scheduling, cost management, cost and risk analysis, estimating, progress and performance monitoring and reporting; identify and select the right software package for the task
  • Application of and the integration of, software and IT systems to enhance the level of data processing. For example, the use of technology including BIM.
  • Technical and engineering principles: interpret technical information from different sources, identify and know the correct data and elements to monitor and control to ensure the basis for any recommendations are credible; review and interpret technical project documents (including scopes of work and engineering drawings etc.).
  • Breakdown and coding structures: develop and implement coding structures as well as critiquing and reviewing technical coding and breakdown structures to ensure they provide a basis for project control.
  • Lead the creation of comprehensive project control plans and reporting frameworks that identify the right contextual elements to track and the working assumptions to use, in order to generate meaningful controls data, ensuring that project controls deliverables are achievable and in line with project objectives
  • Lead the preparation of the strategy for the development and maintenance of the baseline for control taking into account scope definition and schedule, risk and cost (ensuring alignment between cost and schedule using the coding structures).
  • Implement and enforce project control change procedures, judge against evidence and decide if a change is within or without scope, evaluate its impact to profitability and make recommendations or implement the change in a manner that reflects its scale
  • Ensure that project control work is undertaken in accordance with HSE regulations and requirements including applying knowledge of HSE with awareness of how it impacts on project control schedules and costs and ensuring that the schedule and resourcing for a project meets the requirements of regulations (including CDM and safety) and can be delivered in accordance with the requirements i.e. ensure everything is in place and accounted for to ensure the project can run safely.
  • Identify opportunities within their remit in projects to contribute to net carbon zero and environmental sustainability, and then take action to minimise the environmental impact of the project
  • Undertake project control work in accordance with ethics, codes of conduct and duty of care.
  • Data assurance: challenge, verify and validate data reports and data to ensure their integrity, timeliness and technical appropriateness
  • Identify stakeholders across the project for example: those to work with when developing estimates, schedules, and plans and those to deliver controls information and recommendations to. Modify communication style and method to stakeholders, for example to gather information needed.
  • Risk management and analysis: undertake quantitative and qualitative analysis of risks and lead regular reviews of risks and related assumptions in the project risk register such as questioning their presence and relevance in order to underpin the management of the project risk register.
  • Identify opportunities to use data analysis techniques to benefit project controls delivery such as automating repetitive processes or improving data quality or extracting deeper insights and, validate the related data analysis to ensure correct interpretation against which effective decisions can be made.
  • Commercial matters: identification and application of subcontract/supplier deliverables to project control in order to provide the ability to monitor subcontractor/supplier performance and create, record and store project controls content in support of legal and contractual requirements.;
  • Create project controls content to inform tenders and evaluate invitations to tender received and bid responses
  • Prepare an estimating framework and make recommendations on classes of estimate to meet project needs at different project stages
  • Use an evidence based approach to select and apply the most suitable estimating technique for the purpose and undertake estimate assurance, cost risk analysis, prepare related detailed basis of estimate narratives that are evidenced and explanatory - setting out the risks, assumptions, probabilities, uncertainties and contingencies in order to provide a sound basis for decision making
  • Prepare planning and scheduling strategic frameworks and make recommendations on different levels of plans and schedules to meet different project needs for example, milestones or detailed engineer schedules.
  • Use an evidence based approach to create credible, achievable control schedules, applying relevant assumptions and contingency and undertaking schedule assurance, schedule risk analysis and compile a related basis of schedule that is explanatory, setting out the risks, assumptions, probabilities, uncertainties, contingencies, dependencies and constraints.
  • Model the potential for efficiency against time, cost and quality, review and make recommendations.
  • Apply cost engineering practice to: recast the estimate and set the budget baseline and; select and apply proven cost control techniques to capture actual commitment and expenditure data with appropriate use of accruals; and integrate cost and schedule data to develop project cashflow projections and assessments of value of work done over time.
  • Monitor and control project progress and performance by establishing a progress baseline and selecting and applying the right analysis techniques (for example, earned value analysis) for the size and complexity of the project.
  • Control and monitor project progress and performance by selecting and applying the right analysis techniques (for example, earned value analysis) for the size and complexity of the project
  • Identify variations from the progress baseline and assess their potential impact, explain the variations to the project, portfolio or programme manager.
  • Communicate and justify own conclusions and recommendations for example for project recovery or to lead to improved project delivery by influencing and, when necessary, challenging key stakeholders to make informed decisions. Key stakeholders include the project manager, portfolio manager or programme manager
  • Steer across project controls functions in accordance with organisational core values and specific guidelines; mentor and coach team members such as Project Controls Technicians to meet project control requirements.
  • Apply continuous improvement approaches for example using emerging technologies and lessons learnt from previous projects.

Training schedule

  • You’ll receive practical and theoretical training, combined with on-the-job training in the workplace.    

  • Your academic journey will be at the University of Cumbria, where you'll work towards the Level 6 Project Controls Professional Apprenticeship and a BSc (Hons) Degree in Project Controls. Online learning at the University of Cumbria is an interactive experience that makes use of a range of technologies and media types to provide a rich learning environment for you.

  • You'll also be eligible to apply for student membership with the Association for Project Management (APM).

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • Any Subject (grade 4 (C) or above)
  • Any Subject (grade 4 (C) or above)
  • English (grade 4 (C) or above)
  • Maths (grade 4 (C) or above)
  • Science (grade 4 (C) or above)

A Level in:

  • Any Subject (grade Any grade)
  • Any Subject (grade Any grade)

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 apprenticeships 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: clearance levels – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

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.

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

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

  • By the end of your apprenticeship, you'll be ready to take on the roles such as Project Controller, Cost Engineer, Planning Engineer or Risk Specialist at Babcock.

  • From there, your development doesn’t stop. We’ll support you as you grow into more senior roles and take on greater responsibility. 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:

THE UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000345830.

Apply now

Closes on Thursday 18 December 2025

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.