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

Hybrid/flexible working options

Competitive salary

Private medical insurance

Pension

Job summary

Thales in Belfast is offering a Level 5 Mechatronics Higher Level Apprenticeship. You will study towards a Foundation Degree while rotating through engineering departments to gain hands-on experience.

The programme leads toward a BEng Mechatronic Engineering after successful completion, with job progression and a permanent role from the start. The role requires residency in Northern Ireland, security checks, and a strong interest in engineering.

Qualifications

• Entry Requirements include 56 UCAS tariff points (A levels or equivalent).
• 5 GCSEs at grade A-C including English and Maths.
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma or Diploma in Engineering accepted.

Responsibilities

• Apprenticeship combines college study with hands-on engineering experience in Mechatronics.
• Rotational pathway with exposure to multiple engineering disciplines.
• Develop practical engineering skills in a real production environment.

Skills

Self-starter

Time management

Teamwork

Problem-solving

Education

UCAS points/entry requirements

GCSEs A-C

BTEC Level 3/Engineering Diploma

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.
• Understand 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 enthusiastic individuals who are motivated, committed and keen to learn. You will be a self‑starter, able to demonstrate time management skills, working on your own, using your initiative and have a genuine interest in Engineering and Thales. Successful candidates will show self‑discipline and an aspiration to achieve a degree qualification.

Please Note: due to funding obligations (i) applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme (ii) this opportunity is available in Belfast and open to all Northern Ireland residents.

Benefits

• Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum
• Performance‑related pay uplifts
• Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Contributory Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Hybrid/flexible working options
• Employee assistance programme
• Learning and development support
• Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives
• Life Cover
• 80 Hours Volunteering per year (first two years)

For further information about our Future Talent recruitment process, including hints and tips, or to connect with a member of the Future Talent Team, a Graduate, or an Apprentice, please visit Thales Future Talent - Connectr.

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027. Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 17 February 2027, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2027 with details of next steps.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ROLES MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN THE ADVERTISED DEADLINE IF WE RECEIVE A HIGH NUMER OF APPLICATIONS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID MISSING OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Because of the work we do at Thales, all roles are subject to security requirements.

To be considered for this position, you must have the permanent right to work in the UK and be able to successfully complete and maintain UK Government security checks, including Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) screening and Security Clearance (SC), which is a government background check, before starting employment.

To be eligible for SC clearance, you will typically need to have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, right to work in the UK, any time spent overseas during the last five years, and your employment and/or education history.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity, and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.

At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities.