2027 Electronics Engineer Apprentice – Level 6 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

Location: Templecombe, 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 Electronics Engineer Apprentice – Level 6 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

Start Date: 06 September 2027

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Employee type: Permanent

Location: Templecombe

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

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

About the Role

An Electronics Engineering Apprenticeship at Thales is a hands-on entry route into engineering, where you learn electronics design, integration, testing, and troubleshooting while working alongside qualified engineers on real programmes. The exact scope can vary by team, the role centres on building and validating electronic solutions.

What You Will Do

• Support electronics design and development
  Assisting with circuit design activities, component selection, schematic/layout reviews, or adapting existing designs.
• Build and integrate hardware
  Working with breadboards/prototypes and progressing to production-relevant hardware (e.g., assembling modules, wiring, integrating sub-systems).
• Test and verify equipment
  Using test equipment (e.g., oscilloscopes, mustimeters, signal generators) to validate functionality against requirements, debug faults, and document results.
• Troubleshoot and problem-solve
  Investigating issues found during lab testing, system integration, or trials, then helping implement fixes or process improvements.
• Document engineering work
  Writing test reports, maintaining records, updating documentation, and contributing to engineering reviews.
• Work in a safety/quality-focused environment
  Following procedures, configuration control practices, and quality standards relevant to Thales and its programmes.

What You Will Learn

• Core electronics fundamentals (analogue/digital concepts, power, signal integrity basics, interfaces)
• Engineering processes (requirements, verification/validation, configuration management)
• Practical test methods and interpretation of measurement results
• Teamworking and professional engineering behaviours (reviews, clear reporting, traceability)

Typical environment & day-to-day

You’ll usually split time between:

• On-the-job training with engineers in labs/engineering teams (practical hardware/test work)
• Structured apprenticeship learning (college/college-equivalent coursework leading toward a qualification in engineering or electronics)

Skills and qualities that help

• A strong interest in electronics and how systems work
• Ability to follow technical instructions and procedures
• Curiosity and persistence when debugging
• Clear communication and attention to detail (especially for test data and documentation)
• Basic competence with tools (e.g., soldering/assembly, spreadsheets/measurement logs) is beneficial

Degree Apprenticeship Programme

You will study towards a Level 6 BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree Apprenticeship with Exeter University.

In your first year you will be given a broad theoretical and practical knowledge across all core engineering disciplines, before progressing onto increasingly advanced topics later in the course.

Years one and two provide core fundamental knowledge of engineering principles, as well as applying mathematics to engineering problems. Years three and four are spent applying your knowledge to engineering problems.

You will complete a Technical Report and Presentation in the final year: an opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to devise an engineering solution at a professional level in an area of engineering study that aligns to your role at Thales.

By the end of the programme, you will have achieved a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering as well as a Level 6 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree Apprenticeship.

Programme structure:

Throughout the four-year programme, you will combine university study with practical workplace experience, developing both academic knowledge and professional engineering skills.

• Lectures and workshops are delivered through a series of 2-week blocks spaced throughout your degree apprenticeship
• Alongside campus taught lecturers, you will have access to digital resources and discipline experts to support your studies.

Entry Requirements

To apply, you will need:

A Levels

• Three A Levels at ABB, including a Grade B in Maths and a Science subject.

Or BTEC Extended Diploma (DDM)

• Applicants studying one of the following BTEC Extended Diplomas will be considered: Applied Science; Aeronautical Engineering; Building Services; Engineering Construction and the Built Environment; Civil Engineering; Operations and Maintenance Engineering; Computer Engineering; Electrical/Electronic Engineering; Engineering; Manufacturing Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Environmental Sustainability.

Or T Level (Distinction)

• Required Subjects: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing; Engineering; Manufacturing; Processing and Control; Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering: Manufacturing only, Surveying and Planning for Construction. 

GCSEs

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

Please note that applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme.

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 ye