Apprenticeships in Portsmouth: Earn while you learn at BAE Systems

BAE Systems' Maritime Services business – already one of Portsmouth's key employers – will welcome an additional 126 new starters to its Early Careers programmes this year.

There will be 76 apprenticeships available. They will include trade and business roles suitable for applicants with GCSEs and Higher Apprenticeships for those with A Levels.

Several of those post-A Level roles offer successful applicants the chance to earn a wage while they study for a degree. For all the apprenticeship positions, the application deadline is 28 February 2025.

The remaining 50 places available across the wider Early Careers Programmes, including 36 Graduate positions, 11 Industrial Placements and three Summer Intern placements will be filled throughout the year and are not subject to the apprenticeship application window.

Maritime Services’ southern region has several sites in Portsmouth, including Portsmouth Naval Base as well as Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The business plays an important role in supporting the Royal Navy’s operations around the world. Its diverse and skilled workforce delivers end-to-end support to the Royal Navy’s surface ships including the 65,000-ton Aircraft Carriers and Type 45 Air Defence Destroyers. In addition to the maintenance and global support to warships, Maritime Services is responsible for the design and manufacture of some of the most complex and capable radar and underwater weapon systems in the world.

BAE Systems Maritime Services is an exciting business to be part of and provides its early careers community with opportunities to learn from qualified and experienced professionals, including engineers within the Royal Navy. Apprentices have opportunities to work on projects outside of their day-to-day roles to grow their core skillsets and develop their careers.

BAE Systems prides itself on its investment in the local community and is involved with various initiatives in and around the Portsmouth area. As an employer committed to diversity and inclusion, the company also offers a range of networking and employee relations groups – ensuring apprentices are fully supported during their career.

Time for a change

Employees on BAE Systems' Early Careers Programmes can come from any background. Many are school leavers while others have switched careers.

Project Management Degree Apprentice Chanel Radford passed a law degree before changing direction to work in defence. She enjoys working with cutting-edge technology while at the same time enjoying a healthy work-life balance.

Chanel said: “My job differs from my friends as I am earning money while also gaining a degree. The mixture of both academic and practical learning on placement is beneficial as I can apply what I have learnt to my placement and vice-versa.”

Graduate Procurement Officer Zara Ferguson was formerly a Royal Navy reservist and wanted to use her engineering degree to forge a career in the defence industry.

She said: “Defence is at the forefront of new technology and I knew it would be an exciting and dynamic workplace. I also love what BAE Systems stands for, and our commitment to helping those who serve and protect us.

“My proudest moments have been seeing and understanding that the work we do has a real, lasting impact. Not individually but as a collective, as a business we really impact the lives of all those men and women who serve on Royal Navy ships. We are trusted to deliver on time and enable a safe environment for them to live and work on.”

To find out more about opportunities with BAE Systems, Early careers | Careers in the UK | BAE Systems.