Machine Learning - Level 6 AI Engineer Degree Apprenticeship

Thales; Templecombe; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary £24,000 p.a.

Hybrid/flexible working options

Learning and development support

Health Care Cash Plan

Pension

Job summary

Thales invites applicants to join a Machine Learning Apprenticeship within the Specialist Underwater Systems Engineering team. The 23‑month AI Engineer programme at Level 6 combines virtual delivery with hands-on projects, enabling rapid development of AI systems for Navy and export customers.

You will learn AI system development, testing, and IVVQ practices, with final certification options and a potential permanent role upon completion.

Qualifications

• Three A Levels Grade B or above in Maths and at least one other relevant subject (Physics, CS, Software, ICT) or Level 4/5 apprenticeship.
• GCSEs: minimum five GCSEs at Grade 9-4 (A-C) English and Maths.
• Please note that Computer Science graduates are not eligible due to funding restrictions.

Responsibilities

• Working with Underwater Systems specialists and software developers to create novel solutions.
• Developing solutions with partners across the multinational Thales organisation, academia and industry.
• Participating in testing and validation activities.
• Assisting with engineering investigations and problem solving.
• Visiting customer sites, platforms and installations to support surveys, trials and system deployment where required.
• Working with experienced engineers on live projects.

Skills

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

A Levels (Maths + Physics/CS)

GCSEs English and Maths 9-4

Level 4/5 apprenticeship

Job description

Turn your curiosity into a career.

If you're passionate about engineering, eager to learn, and looking for a degree apprenticeship that combines academic study with exciting on-the-job experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Benefits of the programme:

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

About the Role

As a Machine Learning Apprentice, you will develop the technical knowledge, practical skills and professional behaviours needed to become a confident and capable engineer.

Working as part of our Specialist Underwater Systems Engineering team, you will support the rapid delivery of novel solutions, ensuring that our Royal Navy and export customers have the capability needed in today’s fast paced environment to carry out their critical missions, keeping them and our nation safe and secure.

Your responsibilities may include:

• Working with Underwater Systems specialists and software developers to create novel solutions
• Developing solutions with our partners across the multinational Thales organisation, academia and industry
• Participating in testing and validation activities
• Assisting with engineering investigations and problem solving
• Visiting customer sites, platforms and installations to support surveys, trials and system deployment where required
• Working with experienced engineers on live projects

What You Will Learn

Throughout the apprenticeship, you will gain experience and knowledge in:

• Professional engineering behaviours and industry best practice
• Understanding and working with complex engineering systems
• Different engineering roles and activities across live projects
• The Systems Engineering Lifecycle and key engineering processes
• Requirements capture, requirements management and system design techniques
• Systems Engineering tools and methods
• Testing, integration, verification, validation and qualification (IVVQ) activities
• Structured and methodical approaches to problem solving and investigation

Apprenticeship Programme

You will study towards a Level 6 in AI Engineer Apprenticeship with QA. The AI Engineer programme gives you the skills to design, build, and deploy advanced AI systems - including generative AI and deep learning. You’ll move from concept to real‑world application. Creating solutions that scale and deliver impact.

The programme is 23 months in duration and is delivered via a virtual delivery model combining:

• Instructor led live workshops (28 days)
• Interactive labs and self‑paced learning

Programme structure - You will complete learning in:

• AI System Development and Automation
• AI Solution Design and Testing
• Deep Learning and Transformers
• Business Process Optimisation with AI
• Security, Ethics and Explainable AI
• Leading AI and Future Innovation

On completion of the programme, you will have the opportunity to achieve the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI -102) in addition to the IfATE L6AIE Qualification.

Entry Requirements

To apply, you will need:

A Levels

• Three A Levels Grade B or above in Maths
• At least one other relevant subject (Physics, Computer Science, Software, ICT)
• Or Level 4/5 apprenticeship in a relevant discipline

GCSEs

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

Please note that Computer Science graduates are not eligible due to funding restrictions.

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)

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.

In addition, this role supports a UK Eyes Only programme and is therefore subject to government‑mandated nationality restrictions. To satisfy the security clearance requirements for access to highly sensitive information, applicants must have been British citizens from birth and must not hold any other nationality. This requirement is determined by the UK Government and is a condition of programme access rather than an employment preference.

About the Company

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