AI Engineer Apprentice

Thales Group; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/flexible working options

Contributory Pension

Health Care Cash Plan

Learning and development support

Life Cover

Volunteer hours

Job summary

Thales is offering an apprenticeship programme in the UK for graduates to work on data preparation, ML model development, and deployment within AI and engineering projects.

Assessment centres and induction are part of the process, with live virtual lectures and online resources. Role includes hybrid working options, a salary of £24,000 per year and a clear path to a permanent position upon completion.

Qualifications

• Three A Levels Grade B or above in Maths.
• At least one relevant subject (Physics, Computer Science, Software, ICT).
• Or a Level 4/5 apprenticeship in a similar subject.
• Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 9-4 (A-C), including English and Maths.

Responsibilities

• Preparing, exploring and validating data for machine learning use cases
• Developing and evaluating machine learning models and AI-enabled software components
• Writing clean, tested and documented code using appropriate engineering tools and practices
• Supporting model integration, deployment, monitoring and performance improvement
• Contributing to technical reviews, experiments and structured problem solving
• Working with experienced engineers and researchers on live projects

Education

Three A Levels Grade B or above in Maths

At least one relevant subject (Physics, Computer Science, Software, ICT)

Or a Level 4/5 apprenticeship in a similar subject

Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 9-4 (A-C), including English and Maths

Job description

Responsibilities

• Preparing, exploring and validating data for machine learning use cases
• Developing and evaluating machine learning models and AI-enabled software components
• Writing clean, tested and documented code using appropriate engineering tools and practices
• Supporting model integration, deployment, monitoring and performance improvement
• Contributing to technical reviews, experiments and structured problem solving
• Working with experienced engineers and researchers on live projects

What you will learn

• Professional engineering behaviours, teamwork and industry best practice
• Programming, software engineering, version control and automated testing
• Data preparation, feature engineering and data quality techniques
• Machine learning methods, model selection, training and evaluation
• Deployment patterns, MLOps, monitoring and lifecycle management
• Cloud, compute and development tools used to deliver AI solutions
• Responsible AI, security, privacy, safety and regulatory considerations
• Structured approaches to troubleshooting, experimentation and continuous improvement

Apprenticeship programme

• Live virtual lectures (28 days)
• Online learning resources
• Self-directed study
• 5. Complete Online Tests - undertake the online assessments designed to evaluate your suitability for the role.
• 6. Virtual Assessment Centre – candidates who progress from the online assessment stage will attend a virtual assessment centre, which will include group exercises, and competency‑based interviews.
• 7. Job Offer – successful candidates who perform well throughout the recruitment process will receive a job offer from Thales.

Qualifications

• Three A Levels Grade B or above in Maths
• At least one relevant subject (Physics, Computer Science, Software, ICT)
• Or a Level 4/5 apprenticeship in a similar subject
• Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 9-4 (A-C), including English and Maths
• Computer Science graduates are not eligible due to funding restrictions.

About Thales

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.

Assessment centres and induction

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.

Working schedule

Monday – Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday – Thursday, 5 hours Friday)

Benefits

• Earn a salary while studying for your qualification
• Gain hands‑on experience in a real AI and engineering environment
• Receive job‑specific training and development
• Achieve a recognised Level 6 qualification
• Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship
• Have your tuition fees fully paid
• 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)

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.

Eligibility and compliance

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.

Equal opportunity

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.

Company culture

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.