Cyber Degree Apprentice

Leonardo UK Ltd; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexi-days

Pension up to 15%

Mental health support

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Flexible benefits allowance

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd offers a Cyber Degree Apprenticeship Programme designed to blend paid work placements with academic study. You will rotate through software, networking, platform, DevOps, data and security projects, and work toward a BSc/BEng in Cyber Security.

You will study at partner universities while gaining hands-on experience in real-time projects, preparing for a permanent role within Leonardo in the UK.

Qualifications

• 3 A‑Levels (Maths and Physics or Eng/Tech/IT) or BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering with maths bridging.
• Plus 5 GCSEs including English, Maths and a Science subject.

Responsibilities

• Engage in placements across core areas: Software, Network, Platform, DevOps, Data and Security.
• Balance work with degree study toward a BSc/Eng in Cyber Security.
• Collaborate with teams and contribute to real-time projects to apply learning.

Education

A-Levels (Maths & Physics or Eng/Tech/IT)

BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering (maths bridging)

GCSEs including English, Maths, Science

Job description

Job Description: The Opportunity 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 into 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. Through a combination of software, network, platform, DevOps, data, delivery and security placements, you will develop the knowledge and practical experience needed to design, build, deploy, operate and secure modern digital systems.

The starting salary for this role is £23,500 per annum.

The Role

Looking for a great start to your career in technology, earning and learning on a professionally accredited, award-winning scheme? We are recruiting the cyber, software, network, platform, DevOps, data and security professionals of the future on our nationally recognised, award-winning Degree Apprenticeship Programme. Our Cyber Degree Apprenticeship is broader than a traditional cybersecurity programme. It provides experience across the disciplines involved in designing, building, testing, deploying, operating and securing modern digital systems. This three-year programme combines Cyber Delivery (Engineering & Data) and Cyber Security, providing you with hands‑on experience and a strong foundational skill set across engineering, data and security disciplines before you specialise in a chosen path. During Years 1 and 2, you will complete a series of placements across key areas, including:

• Core Foundational Skills System Development (Software, Network, Platform, DevOps and Test)
• Data & Analytics (AI/ML, Data Engineering and Visualisation)
• Security Risk & Governance and Audit & Assurance
• Operational Security, including exposure to Security Operations Centres (SOC), threat detection, vulnerability management and incident response
• Cyber Project Delivery, providing an understanding of how multidisciplinary teams plan, coordinate and deliver cyber and digital projects
• Exposure to how Architecture supports secure system design, engineering and technical decision‑making

In Year 3 you'll begin to specialise more in either Cyber Delivery or Cyber Security, having the opportunity to take on placements more focused on your chosen area and develop deeper expertise in preparation for a permanent role within the business.

Throughout your apprenticeship, you will:

• Balance your time between work and studying for a BSc (Hons) or BEng (Hons) in Cyber Security.
• Gain hands‑on experience and practical skills in areas such as:
• Secure system and network design.
• Software, network, platform, DevOps and test engineering.
• Installing and configuring operating systems, firewalls and applications.
• Deploying and using secure Cloud environments such as AWS and Azure.
• Using DevOps practices and tooling to support secure software development, automation and deployment.
• Data analytics with Machine Learning and AI.
• Detecting and remediating cyberattacks.
• Security design and architecture, security testing and response investigations.
• Risk analysis, governance and compliance.
• Understanding how cyber and digital projects are planned and delivered.
• Engage in STEM outreach and community initiatives.

During your Apprenticeship we encourage you to spend at least 3/4 days a week on site to integrate with your team and maximise your learning experience.

Your work will support critical business areas throughout Leonardo and our customers in the UK government and private sector and will provide you with great learning opportunities in the field.

At the same time, you will obtain the academic knowledge and qualifications necessary for your future career in a high‑tech company through your course at one of our partner universities.

You will be working within world‑class facilities, in both office and lab environments and will have opportunities to travel to other Leonardo UK and customer sites, to meet with colleagues, customers, and suppliers.

Beyond the programme there may be the opportunity for you to further your academic and vocational achievements based on your talents and capability and needs of the business.

You would be expected to commit to the successful completion of all your academic modules and assignments in support of the Apprenticeship standard.

What We’re Looking For

This Apprenticeship assumes little prior cybersecurity experience and is NOT suitable for candidates who already have an engineering, software or computing degree.

Qualification Requirements:

3 A-Levels (Grades A–C) One must be in Mathematics and another in Physics or an Engineering/Technology/IT related subject. OR BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering (with maths bridging course).

Plus: 5 GCSEs (Grades 9–4 / A*–C) including English, Maths, and a Science subject. We consider each application individually in consultation with our partnering university.

Security Clearance

At Leonardo, many of our roles are subject to security and export control restrictions set by UK Government Security requirements and customer obligations. As a result, and in line with the UK Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) requirements, all successful applicants will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record declaration information and employment and/or education history verification for the previous five years. For staff operating in more sensitive posts, there is an additional range of personnel security controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV). As part of this process, a range of factors may be considered, including an individual’s background, travel history, nationality, previous nationalities held and other information relevant to the vetting assessment. To be eligible for National Security Vetting at SC level, applicants will generally be expected to have continuously resided in the UK for the previous five years. For DV clearance, this is typically ten years. In some circumstances, time spent overseas may be accepted, with additional overseas checks. Additional vetting requirements may apply upon appointment. For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting.

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do, key contributors in shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your wellbeing matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity.
• Rewarding performance: All employees are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Join in our success: Our annual Employee Stock Ownership Plan provides you the opportunity to own shares in Leonardo.
• Tailored perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/company-benefits.

We are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people, communities and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Contract Type: Fixed term

Primary Location: GB - Bristol - Coldharbour Lane

Contract Type: Permanent

Hybrid Working: Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo.

The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know‑how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!