2027 Academy Engineer Apprentice - Level 5 Higher Level Apprenticeship - Mechatronic Engineering

thales; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary while studying

Permanent role from start

Tuition fees covered

Job summary

Thales in Belfast, United Kingdom, offers a 3-year Higher Level Apprenticeship in Mechatronics (Level 5). You will study towards a Foundation Engineering Degree while rotating through engineering departments, gaining hands-on experience, and earning a salary from day one.

There is a clear path to a permanent role on completion. You will study toward a Level 5 Higher Level Apprenticeship with college lessons one day per week and five days on-site, aiming to develop core mechatronic engineering

Qualifications

• 56 UCAS tariff points (A Levels CC) including Mathematics or Physics.
• 5 GCSEs at grade A-C (4-9) including English and Maths.
• Foundation Engineering Degree (FdEng) in Mechatronics available through partner college/uni.

Responsibilities

• Learn/mechatronics skill development through rotating placements across engineering teams.
• Assist in delivering engineering solutions within deadlines, quality, and budget.
• Work with mentors to understand decisions balancing cost, quality and performance.

Education

FdEng in Mechatronics

56 UCAS tariff points including Mathematics/Physics

5 GCSEs including English & Maths

Job description

Location: Belfast, United Kingdom

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

2027 Academy Engineer Apprentice - Level 5

Higher Level Apprenticeship - Mechatronic Engineering

Start Date: 6 September 2027
Salary: £24,000 per annum
Employee type: Permanent
Location: Belfast (must be a resident of Northern Ireland for the past 5 years)
Working Schedule: Monday - Thursday 0800-1645, Friday 0800-1200 (flexible working available)

Turn your curiosity into a career. If you're passionate about engineering, eager to learn, and looking for an apprenticeship that combines academic study with exciting on-the-job experience, we'd love to hear from you. Our Mechatronics apprenticeship will let you explore different types of engineering before you make an informed decision to specialise in relevant disciple of engineering.

Benefits of the programme:

• Earn a salary while studying for your apprenticeship
• Gain hands-on experience in a real engineering environment
• Receive job-specific training and development
• Achieve a recognised engineering qualification
• Tuition fees for approved training providers are fully covered
• Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship

About the Role

As an Engineering Apprentice, you'll be learning and building real mechatronic engineering skills - This will help you can grow into a confident, positive, and flexible engineer. You'll develop a strong technical base and get the chance to work on challenging engineering problems as part of a supportive team.

Mechatronics is where mechanical engineering, electronics, and software come together - so you'll learn how to think through design, how to create solutions, and how technology helps make systems work automatically.

In this role, you'll help the team deliver solutions to meet deadlines, quality expectations, and budget. You'll learn how good engineering decisions are made - balancing performance, cost, and manufacturability all while working with different parts of the business.

How this helps you grow:

• Build practical, transferable engineering skills : you won't just learn theory - you'll learn how designs are made ready for real-world production.
• Become more confident in engineering problem-solving: you'll work with guidance, but you'll also learn how to break down challenges and find solutions.
• Understanding how engineering decisions are made: you'll see how cost, quality, and performance trade-offs come into the design process.
• Learn through teamwork: you'll collaborate with people from different disciplines and begin building professional communication skills.

What You Will Learn

How our business works, especially across Engineering, including software, hardware, and systems

Engineering and the wider business, together - you'll be exposed to other functions outside Engineering, so you fully understand how we're set up and how decisions get made

Learning from the people who make it all happen - you'll work with key stakeholders across the business, alongside experienced, long-tenured experts and our leadership teams

Building your network - you'll join a large community of future talent (including apprentices, graduates, and interns), helping you grow through connections and shared learning

Growing your capability through rotation - you'll develop through a designed pathway with internal rotational programmes, ensuring you get the right experience in the right teams

Apprenticeship Programme

You will be studying towards a Level 5 Higher Level Apprenticeship, Foundation Engineering Degree (FdEng) in Mechatronics with our partners at the South Eastern Regional College in Bangor. During the 3 year programme you will follow an initial rotation plan and then specialise in a particular engineering function. You will be given 1 day per week to attend college lessons, lectures and tutorials on campus. The other 4 days you will be working in engineering departments, embedding your college learning in a real-life engineering environment.

On successful completion of the Higher-Level Apprenticeship, there will be scope to progress onto the BEng in Mechatronic Engineering at Ulster University.

Entry Requirements

• 56 UCAS tariff points including: A Levels (A2): Typical grade profile CC (to include 1 from Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Design & Technology, Engineering, Electronics or Double Award Science/Applied Science)
• Or BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering with overall award profile MPP or Diploma in Engineering with overall award profile MM
• 5 GCSEs at grade A-C (4-9) or above including English and Maths

We are looking for en