V05058 - Higher Apprentice Quality Practitioner

BAE SYSTEMS PLC

Cumbria (LA14 1AF)

Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026

Posted on 10 November 2025


Summary

The Quality function aims to achieve customer satisfaction by meeting contractual and regulatory requirements and continually improving the effectiveness of the Quality Management System. 'Predict, Prevent, Protect' is critical to our national endeavour and we are all personally accountable for the quality of what we do.

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
Quality practitioner (level 4)
Hours
Shifts to be confirmed.

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 28 September 2026

Duration

3 years

Positions available

5

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 Quality Practitioner apprentice, you'll be joining a team of skilled Quality Professionals through a three-year learning journey to deploy effective Quality Practices within the Submarine sector. Therefore, fulfilling the contractual and regulatory requirements of our customers and stakeholders. This includes four main elements:

  • Quality Planning (planning a delivery system for reliable outputs, such as implementing Quality Management Plans),
  • Quality Assurance (providing confidence to stakeholders that Quality standards are maintained, such as conducting audits),
  • Quality Control (verifying a product or service is meeting agreed specifications, such as carrying out inspections)
  • Continuous Improvement (preventing recurrence of poor quality through analysis and addressing the root cause of poor quality, such as conducting investigations)

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

BAE SYSTEMS PLC

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

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 (grade A*-C or 9-4 or equivalent)

A Level in:

STEM Based Subjects (grade 72 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:

BAE SYSTEMS PLC

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000350627.

Apply now

Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026

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