About the role
Location: Cheadle, 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 Software Engineering Apprentice - Level 6 Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship
Start Date: 6 September 2027
Salary:
£24,000 per annum
Employee type:
Permanent
Location:
Cheadle
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 degree
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 university tuition fees fully paid
About the Role
As a
Software Engineering 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 Software Engineering team, you will support the delivery of software solutions, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.
Your responsibilities may include:
Supporting system requirement and design activities
Developing software solutions to fulfil an actual business need
Contributing to project reviews
Assisting with engineering investigations and problem solving
Communicating technical recommendations to stakeholders
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
Working securely, ethically and responsibly with complex data in compliance with regulatory standards
The Software Engineering lifecycle and key engineering processes
Software Engineering tools and methods
Requirement management, design techniques, and software code implementation
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 Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship with Manchester Metropolitan University.
As a Software Engineering Apprentice, you’ll develop a broad set of skills and knowledge across the digital and technology landscape. You’ll learn how information systems work, how software is built and tested, and how data and cyber security fit into real business environments—alongside the fundamentals of business organisation, IT project management, and computer and network infrastructures.
Your learning is supported through taught units and work-based projects, where possible focused on live business scenarios and real-world problem solving, with experienced support throughout.
For the duration of this 4-year programme you will attend Manchester Metropolitan University one day per week to study. For the other four days you will be working at our Cheadle site, applying your learning to real work projects and gain a breadth of experience with your teammates. At the end of the apprenticeship, you will be working as a Software Engineer within the Thales UK businesses.
The programme is delivered through a blended learning approach, combining:
- On campus teaching, face to face one day a week during the academic year Online workshops/classes Guided self-study
- Throughout the 4-year programme, you will combine university study with practical workplace experience, developing both academic knowledge and professional engineering skills.
Entry Requirements
To apply, you will need:
104 UCAS points (A Level BCC)
Or an equivalent qualification such as
BTEC Extended Diploma (DDM), T Level (Merit) or apprenticeship
And
5 GCSEs at Grade 9-4/A-C including Maths and English
Please note that applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme. Software Engineering and Computer Science are both relevant degrees.
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