The number of apprenticeships offered by engineering employers in the UK is growing as they understand it may be their best way of ensuring a consistent pipeline of hard-to-find talent into their organisations. It is a great route to choose if you have little or no commercial experience and will help you get a foot in the door, with the strong possibility of an offer of a salaried job at the end of your apprenticeship.
We’ve highlighted a few programmes well-suited to veterans:
1.CADENT
The Apprenticeship Programme run by Cadent offers 3 different Apprenticeship Programmes:
2. GLAXOSMITHKLINE (GSK)
There are many different apprenticeships on offer by GSK, some of which are Engineering Apprenticeships. Their multi-skilled engineering apprenticeship programmes are designed to create the technicians and engineers of the future. As an engineering apprentice, they will give you the opportunity to develop mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation skills.
3. ROLLS ROYCE
The Apprenticeship Programmes run by Rolls Royce is a way to combine on-the-job training with digital learning and practical skills development. In this apprenticeship, you study towards a degree or other nationally-recognised qualifications – all fully sponsored. This will then give you an Engineering qualification that you can use to work for Rolls Royce or a similar company.
4. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE AND ENGINEERING TRAINING COURSE
The Property Maintenance and Engineering Training Course is run by Building Heroes within the Engineering - Welding and Fabrication industry and is eligible for all veterans. It is a 5-week free course which will provide you with numerous qualifications, the main ones being in Construction, Engineering Operations and Health and Safety. This training opportunity is completely free to all veterans!
5. MILITARY 2 RAIL PROGRAMME
The Military 2 Rail Programme is offered by Siemens, this is an intensive 6-week development programme aimed at bringing military personnel into the rail industry and developing their career outside of the military.
6. UK RETAIL TECHNICIAN PROGRAMME
The UK Retail Technician Programme is provided by Jaguar Land Rover. As well as welcoming direct employment applications from members of the Armed Forces, they have also created innovative placements and training, designed to provide insight and support for careers beyond the military. The Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Academy works closely with the UK Retail Network to identify and train the next generation of Retailer Apprentices. The Network spans the length and breadth of the UK from Inverness to Truro and Swansea to Norwich. Apprenticeship opportunities are advertised all year round.
The career opportunities that exist on the Jaguar Land Rover Retail Apprentice Programme are:
7. TRANSITION WORKFORCE
Companies like BT offer Transition Workforce Workshops which is a BT Group-wide external mentoring programme that supports Armed Forces leavers, veterans and their families in their transition to civilian employment. The programme was first set up in 2010 by BT’s Chairman. Transition Force seeks to achieve a positive employment outcome for everyone attending the workshops by providing support through; interview techniques, CV writing, and by also highlighting the current career opportunities within BT and Openreach, providing an insight on each part of the business and providing an insight on the current job market.
8. NETWORK RAIL
The Electrical Engineering Opportunity offered by Network Rail has two separate functions, the operations and the maintenance elements. The operational function delivers the services that ensure safe performance of the railway, including managing the systems and processes that keep the rail network working: from signalling operators in their regional Rail Operating Centres, to mobile operations managers and incident response teams that help reopen any part of the network that’s blocked, level crossing managers and station customer service teams. Additionally, the maintenance element involves the day-to-day upkeep of the network. The maintenance employees support their operations and project teams by making sure every part of their infrastructure is maintained and in good working order.