Design Engineering Apprentice

Job Overview
Job purpose

Leonardo offers a range of Apprenticeships from 2-4yrs. across a variety of STEM and business routes, offering paid training, coupled with on the job learning that enables you to gain practical skills, experience and knowledge that sets up the best start to your career. We offer competitive entry salaries and fully support your academic learning through to qualifications, with salary increases as you progress.

Whether leaving School or College with GCSEs/Standards, A 'Levels/Highers (or equivalent) or in work and looking for a new career path, you are fully supported as you rotate within the business working on real-time projects alongside highly skilled professionals who are passionate about their work. We support helping you settle in to your new location ensuring you are familiar with the team and have a warm welcome from day 1. There is a member of our Apprentice team at each site, helping you progress, ensuring your study time is protected, enabling access to digital learning as well as opportunities to get involved with the local community and STEM projects, enhance many aspects of each programme.

Leonardo values people that look to always develop throughout their career and along with an eager willingness to learn, a successful apprenticeship with us involves a drive to deliver results, sometimes from your own initiative, a patience for problem solving, as well as a need to comply with safety instructions and clear process compliance at all times. We view commitment to programme and learning objectives very highly.

Leonardo is an international leader in electronic and information technologies for defence systems, aerospace, data, infrastructures, land security and protection, and sustainable 'smart' solutions.

You will be working within world class facilities. During your apprenticeship, you may be working in an office or lab environment or a combination of both.

How this role fits in Leonardo's four-year Design Engineering Apprenticeship provides a wealth of learning and development opportunities including an HND in Engineering systems, SVQ level 2 (PEO) and SVQ L3 - Diploma in Engineering. Working with world-leading specialists, you will increase your technical skills and capability, and develop your academic and practical understanding of the engineering lifecycle.

You will undertake a series of rotational placements within our Test Systems Group. These placements are to give a broad range of operational experience and give our apprentices a broad range of skills and knowledge within test systems

During the rotational placements you will learn how to test complex electrical and mechanical systems to ensure they are safe and reliable. The rotational placement plan will truly give you a flavour of all aspects of engineering verification and test within the function .

Key Responsibility Areas

Years 1 And 2
During your first five months you will be attending college full-time to complete an SVQ Level 2. Once back on-site, you will conduct rotational placements where you will gather real work evidence such as written logs describing day-to-day tasks completed and highlighting the key engineering competencies you have demonstrated. The SVQ will require you to complete a folder of this evidence, demonstrating your development into a well-rounded technician/engineer through on-the-job training and are gaining the essential practical skills to succeed. During this time you will also be attending college on day release to gain the academic qualifications required by the Apprenticeship framework.

Years 3 And 4
Having gained broad experience across Leonardo, you will undertake a final placement and further your academic study to HND level. These activities will be focused on your area of specialism and the on-the-job training will enable you to gather the final evidence required for the SVQ. Beyond the programme there may be the opportunity for you to further your academic achievements based on your talents and capability and needs of the business.

Who would suit this role?

Leonardo values people that look to always develop throughout their career and along with an eager willingness to learn, a successful apprenticeship with Leonardo involves a drive to deliver results, sometimes from your own initiative, patience and problem solving as well as a need to comply with safety and process compliance at all times.

We also view dependability to the programme and learning objectives very highly.

You must have (as a minimum) the following academic qualifications:

• 3 x Higher Grades (or equivalent):
• Mandatory: Mathematics (A-C) and Physics (A-C) or Engineering Science (A–C)
• Plus Another Higher subject, preferably a technological subject e.g. Graphic Communication, Product Design, Craft & Design, Tech Studies, Computing etc. (A-C)
• Standard Grades (1-3) / National 5: (A-C) English – minimum Nat 5 A-C

Note: This Apprenticeship assumes the candidate has little engineering knowledge and is NOT suitable for candidates who already have an HND

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:

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This employer is part of the Disability Confident scheme. This means if you identify yourself as disabled, and meet the minimum criteria for this job, you should be offered an interview.