2027 Machine Learning Apprentice - Level 6 AI Engineer

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 Machine Learning Apprentice - Level 6 AI Engineer

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 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)

Thales Apprentice Recruitment Process

1.      Apply Online - submit your application online to register your interest.  You only need to register for one role as you will have the opportunity to apply for additional roles at the full application stage.

2.      Upload Your CV

3.      Check your emails for the invitation to apply – this will come from recruiting@jobalerts.thalesgroup.com

4.      Complete Your Application – follow the link provided in the email to complete your application.  You can apply for one primary role and up to 3 additional roles.

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.

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. 

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.

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. Join the Talent Community here.

Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!