2026 Manufacturing Apprentice - Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician

Location: Templecombe, United Kingdom

Thales people provide armed forces customers with operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defence mission systems solutions at land, sea, and air. Our platforms extend across the battlespace including Above and Sonar, Electronic Combat, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

2026 Manufacturing Apprentice - Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician

Start Date: 07 September 2026

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Employee type: Permanent

Location: Templecombe

Working Schedule: 37 hours per week on site (8 hours Monday - Thursday). Year 1 Monday – Friday 37 hours a week, moving to 4-day week when 18 years of age after Year 1 is complete

Do you have an inquisitive mind? Are you interested in how things work? Do you want to be part of an Apprenticeship Programme that will develop and challenge you? If so, read on to see what Thales has on offer within the Industry Team at our Templecombe site.

What the role has to offer:

• Earn while you learn
• Job specific training experience
• Industry recognised qualifications
• Permanent role from day one
• Tuition fees for university or approved training providers are fully covered
  
  
  

Our Level 3 manufacturing apprenticeship in Templecombe is a fantastic opportunity to learn our business from the ground up, giving you an insight, which will be invaluable regardless of if you chose to stay in manufacturing or wish to move into a different function. The programme will allow you to rotate through a series of different placements, so you can see what you enjoy the most and where your strengths lie.

You will learn the key skills required for working in the manufacturing areas;

assembly techniques, wiring and looming, soldering and ESD safety. You will receive all the relevant equipment and software needed to work throughout Thales.

Year 1 of the apprenticeship focusses mainly on learning, spending 3 days a week at Yeovil College and 1 day in the workplace, following a set curriculum to give you the skills required for your future career.

Year 2 allows you to embed those skills and is predominantly based on site working with our experienced technicians, learning in role while continuing at college on day release to complete a Level3 BTEC.

Year 3 will offer the opportunity to rotate through other business functions where you will gain experience and knowledge in different manufacturing departments, while you work your way towards end point assessment.

Apprentice Programme:

As a Manufacturing Apprentice, you will enrol onto a Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician Apprenticeship at Yeovil College over a 3.5-year duration. Delivered via a day release delivery model, you will complete your academic studies at college each week and then come back to the workplace to apply what you have learned. The End Point Assessment will consist of a work-based project report and a professional discussion. Upon completion of the programme, you will have achieved a Level 3 Diploma in Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technologies, plus a Level 3 apprenticeship qualification.

Requirements:

• 5 GCSEs grade 9-4 (A-C) including English and Maths
  
  
  

Benefits

• 201 hours annual leave (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Life Insurance
• Discount Portal
• Performance-related pay uplifts
• 80 Hours Volunteering (first two years)
  
  
  

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2026.

Induction week for all Graduates and Apprentices will take place from Monday 7 September - Friday 11 September 2026.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Thursday 12 February 2026, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2026 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.

Recruitment Process:

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.

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales many of our roles are subject to security restrictions and, as a result, you may be limited to what you can work on within our business in relation to your place of birth and/or nationality.

As standard, all successful candidates must possess the permanent right to work in the UK and will be required to go through Government security clearance at BPSS Level prior to starting with us and then to obtain full Security Clearance (SC) in line with the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) requirements.

To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, eligibility to work in the UK, time spent abroad over the last 5 years, as well as employment and / or educational history.

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.

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative fo

rmat or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!