British security and defence company BAE Systems has announced it is to create more than 1,650 apprenticeships and graduate jobs for young people in the UK in 2022.
The Lancashire Evening Post reports that there will be 750 graduate and undergraduate roles on offer, as well as 900 apprenticeships, and the majority of the new roles will be based in the north of England, with over half the roles at BAE sites in the North West, and 450 opportunities in Barrow in Cumbria.
Of the vacancies in Barrow, over two-thirds will be apprenticeships, with 120 jobs on offer for graduates and undergraduates to work on BAE’s submarine and fighter jet operations.
The recruitment of young people by BAE represents a 25 per cent increase in last year’s intake and will mark the firm’s largest-ever annual recruitment drive for their ‘early careers’ programme.
A few of the career areas which you can study at BAE Systems via their apprenticeships and graduate programmes include:
- accountancy
- aerospace engineering
- cyber security
- electronic systems design
- human resources.
- software development
Announcing the recruitment drive, BAE Systems’ chief executive officer, Charles Woodburn, said: “Creating high-quality employment opportunities for young people across the country ensures we retain the critical capabilities we need to sustain our business for the long-term, while also helping to drive growth across the UK’s regional economies.”
He added that early careers employers are the foundation of the future, and the diversity of skills and experience that they bring will enable BAE to continue to innovate and deliver the very best technology to the UK’s armed forces.
Alex Burghart, the Department for Education’s apprenticeships and skills minister, welcomed the news and said it was ‘brilliant’ that BAE has committed to supporting the future workforce through the power of apprenticeships.
“Apprenticeships play a vital role in giving people the ability to earn while they learn, and the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow,” he said.
Chloe Silver, a current apprentice with BAE, working towards a project management degree within the firm’s Submarines Operations, explained that she knew she wanted to get into the world of work when she finished college, but she also wanted to gain more qualifications, leading her to choose an apprenticeship.
She said she has had some ‘great highlights’ from her work at BAE since joining in September 2021, and she was excited for what the future holds.
BAE Systems employs around 90,000 people around the world, with 35,000 working at the company’s 50 bases in the UK alone.
Almost 1 in 10 of the current UK workforce at BAE Systems is either an apprentice, an undergraduate or a graduate working in a training role within the company’s business.
If you are interested in any of the opportunities at BAE then visit their careers site here. Note that the firm takes on graduates at various stages throughout the calendar year, but that, for the 2022 apprenticeship intake, applications close at the end of February 2022.
If you’re looking for apprenticeship providers in the North West, talk to us today.