V05082 - Higher Apprentice Design Engineering Technical
BAE SYSTEMS PLC
Portsmouth (PO1 3NB)
Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026
Posted on 4 December 2025
Contents
Summary
With collaboration, innovation and a laser-like customer focus at its core, Maritime & Land Defence Solutions is growing a strong, long-term UK product and support business.
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
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
- Engineering design technician (level 3)
- Hours
-
Shifts to be confirmed
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 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
- You will be spending the first 6 months in Portsmouth Naval Base’s Skills and Development Centre where you will develop your practical engineering skills
- You will develop knowledge, skills and behaviours within your engineering discipline whilst gaining valuable experience in design engineering
- Within the Design Team you will experience placements with the other engineering disciplines to provide a wider perspective and all-round engineering understanding
Where you'll work
BAE Systems
The Old Iron Foundry, PP204
The Parade, HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
PO1 3NB
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
Engineering design technician (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Apply health and safety procedures and safe systems of work in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Work in accordance with the design process, company management systems, policies and procedures.
- Review and interpret technical information and requirements from different sources such as specifications, engineering drawings, concepts, stakeholders.
- Identify and assess factors that affect designs such as materials, application, location, risk and environment.
- Select materials and parts.
- Propose and evaluate ideas for sustainable engineering concepts to solve engineering challenges.
- Develop solutions that can be manufactured or built, and proven, operated and maintained during their operational life and decommissioned or recycled at the end of their operational life.
- Provide feedback on engineering designs.
- Apply quality assurance procedures to engineering drawings or models, including own designs and those of peers.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Produce written documents, schedules and reports.
- Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Identify inaccuracies or discrepancies in drawings and specifications and propose solutions.
- Incorporate changes to an existing design as a result of any modifications made during the as-built implementation.
- Create concepts for system layouts and associated components.
- Read, interpret and establish design intent.
- Determine the correct tolerances for components of the design.
- Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Perform simple calculations to use in design drawings.
- Use measuring techniques for reverse engineering.
- Option 1. Produce general arrangements of electrical power.
- Option 1. Produce detailed drawings of electrical power components such as wires connection, voltage, capacity, main switches.
- Option 1. Identify cable types and application.
- Option 1. Use digital tools such as CAD and BIM to produce electrical power project deliverables such as output drawings and electrical designs.
- Option 2. Produce general arrangements of control and instrumentation designs.
- Option 2. Produce detailed drawings of control and instrumentation components such as cable numbers, wire colours, junction block numbers and panel identification.
- Option 2. Identify different cable types and appropriate application.
- Option 2. Use digital tools such as CAD to produce control and instrumentation project deliverables.
- Option 3. Produce general arrangements of mechanical designs.
- Option 3. Produce detailed drawings of mechanical components such as part dimensions, shape and manufacture.
- Option 3. Use digital tools such as CAD to produce mechanical project deliverables.
- Option 4. Produce general arrangements of piping design.
- Option 4. Produce detailed drawings of piping components such as pipework, ducts and fittings and including supports and skids.
- Option 4. Use digital tools such as CAD or Plant Design Management Systems to produce piping design project deliverables.
- Option 5. Produce general arrangements of structures showing multiple materials such as steel, concrete, masonry, timber.
- Option 5. Produce detailed drawings for multiple materials such as steel, concrete, timber or masonry.
- Option 5. Use digital tools such as CAD and BIM to produce structural project deliverables.
- Apply health and safety procedures and safe systems of work in compliance with regulations and standards.
- Work in accordance with the design process, company management systems, policies and procedures.
- Review and interpret technical information and requirements from different sources such as specifications, engineering drawings, concepts, stakeholders.
- Identify and assess factors that affect designs such as materials, application, location, risk and environment.
- Select materials and parts.
- Propose and evaluate ideas for sustainable engineering concepts to solve engineering challenges.
- Develop solutions that can be manufactured or built, and proven, operated and maintained during their operational life and decommissioned or recycled at the end of their operational life.
- Provide feedback on engineering designs.
- Apply quality assurance procedures to engineering drawings or models, including own designs and those of peers.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
- Produce written documents, schedules and reports.
- Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks with consideration for cost, quality, safety, security and environmental impact.
- Identify inaccuracies or discrepancies in drawings and specifications and propose solutions.
- Incorporate changes to an existing design as a result of any modifications made during the as-built implementation.
- Create concepts for system layouts and associated components.
- Read, interpret and establish design intent.
- Determine the correct tolerances for components of the design.
- Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures.
- Perform simple calculations to use in design drawings.
- Use measuring techniques for reverse engineering.
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:
A Level in:
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
Please be aware of qualification entry criteria when applying for this role. This is clearly displayed on the advert under the section qualification requirements. To be eligible for the role you must meet these entry requirements.
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.
Company benefits
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
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 VAC2000003906.
Apply now
Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026
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