Mechanical Engineering Placement Scheme 2026

Your window into a better future

We are AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. When you join us, you'll help create world-class sustainable solutions that connect people, data, and technology. We're transforming infrastructure and energy systems, growing partnerships with our clients, and bringing the most complex projects across the globe to life.

Our global team of 36,000+ employees speak over 70 languages and represent 130 nationalities across six continents. Our work covers a variety of sectors, including transportation, infrastructure, environment, water, energy, defence, technology and aerospace.

Join our Placement Scheme where you'll be trusted with complex work and supported by your peers, line managers and senior leaders. Through a combination of on-the-job learning and practical skills development within your chosen role, you’ll work on real projects from day one that offer scale and variety, collaborating with others and creating meaningful impact on the world around us.

Reaching your full potential means being able to bring your whole self to work and feeling like you belong. Find out more about our global programme Different makes a difference.

Where you could work

Where you could work

You Could Join The Following Business Areas

Aerospace, Defence, Security & Technology (ADS&T):

Our Aerospace, Defence, Security & Technology (ADS&T) team provides trusted advice and expert support to organisations in mission critical industries. So, when we say you’ll be making a difference, we mean your work will help keep people safe, protect our national interests, and overcome some of the biggest challenges our global community has ever faced.

Our approach is underpinned by our ability to draw on and effectively integrate our capabilities in several areas including:

• Engineering: We have a strong engineering heritage and deep technical expertise, which enable us to find innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients’ challenges.
• Project Management: We consistently demonstrate that we have the skills and experience to deliver large, complex projects including in highly regulated and safety- critical environments.
• Consulting: We’re all changing the way we live and work to respond to an ever- changing environment and unforeseen events. We help our clients navigate these changes and seize the opportunities that transformation can bring.

Digital: We leverage technology to deliver the best results, measure our progress against targets, demonstrate value for money, and future- proof our client’s projects

Industrial placement locations: Bristol, London, Manchester, Silchester (Temporarily closed for new applications)

Find out more about our ADS&T teams and locations.

Infrastructure

Help us reimagine our places and spaces, from transport hubs to university campuses, industrial facilities, and critical flood defence schemes - we touch every aspect of social and economic environments. The type of work will include creating specialist civils drawings, detailed tasks/design and client-facing roles on some of the industry's most complex civil engineering projects.

You'll be sharpening your skills on the latest digital technologies while pressing towards a carbon-neutral future.

Industrial placement locations: Manchester and Glasgow (Temporarily closed for new applications)

Summer placement locations: Belfast and Epsom (Temporarily closed for new applications)

Find out more about our Infrastructure teams and locations.

Nuclear

Our Nuclear business works collaboratively across the industry, building trust and delivering exceptional engineering solutions to our key clients. As part of our dynamic Nuclear teams, your work will support today's energy needs and pave the way for tomorrow's solutions, playing a crucial role in our journey towards a net-zero future.

In joining our Nuclear business, you'll be part of one of three key teams in the UK:

• Power New Build
• Reactor Operations
• Decommissioning
  
  

Industrial placement locations: Glasgow, Manchester

Summer placement locations: Bristol, Epsom, Manchester and Sheffield (Temporarily closed for new applications)

Find out more about our Nuclear teams and locations.

Transportation

By combining traditional engineering and new innovative technologies, our teams make journeys easier, safer, and more reliable while supporting a greener and more productive society. Our work spans the full transport ecosystem across Bridges & Civils, Highways, Rail, Central Rail Systems Alliance, and local transport projects. You'll feel a sense of pride working with our clients, such as Highways England, Network Rail and Transport for London - to name a few.

Summer placement locations:

Derby (Temporarily closed for new applications)

Find out more about our Transportation teams and locations.

What you can bring

• A passion for working in a consultancy environment
• Championing a culture where everyone belongs
• A desire to work collaboratively with a curious approach, challenging yourself to find new solutions
• Enthusiasm and drive to develop your skillset and seek out development opportunities within a supportive team
• Motivation to achieve professional accreditation (where applicable)
• Comfortable to embrace agile ways of working and learning new technologies
• Commitment to spend a minimum of three days a week in the office or on client site (project dependent). Being together in person helps us build stronger relationships, collaborate more effectively, and accelerate your learning and development.
  
  

How do I apply?

Click Apply Now below to start your application.

Not sure if AtkinsRéalis is the right fit for you? Try our Match Me Tool before applying. It’s a quick, interactive way to explore how your working style and preferences align with our culture. You’ll get instant feedback to help you decide whether to apply.

Also check out our Connectr platform for tips and advice on applying - you can even message your questions directly to one of our mentors.

We’re a Disability Confident Employer and can make adjustmen

ts to support you to perform at your best during the recruitment process. Please contact us confidentially at placements@atkinsrealis.com to find out how we can support you.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Our programmes are incredibly popular, so apply as soon as possible as roles will close based on volume of applications.

More about us

AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We design and deliver major projects on the built and natural environments all around the world. We believe that digitally enabled engineering has the power to radically improve the way we are all housed, connected, powered, and protected and can change our relationship with our communities and our planet for the better. We are committed to building a culture where everyone belongs – a place where you can all be yourself, thrive and reach your full potential.

Learn more

Meeting your needs

Join our vibrant early careers community, with plenty of brilliant opportunities; from skill‑building to social events, charity challenges, social clubs, and much more. Join any of our employee networks for social interaction, peer support and personal development.

We aim to promote a workplace which allows our people to perform at their best. As well as ensuring you’re rewarded for your efforts, we have a variety of initiatives to create a healthy workplace and support your well-being including access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing you with immediate and confidential help for any work, health or life matters.

Additional information

This role may require a security clearance, and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at the interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role, please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application details of any current or previously held security clearance.

Due to current Government immigration salary thresholds, AtkinsRéalis do not sponsor any skilled worker visas for our early careers programme as the Home Office's eligibility criteria would not be met. Given the length of our early careers programme AtkinsRéalis requires applicants to have the right to work in the UK (without sponsorship by AtkinsRéalis) for the duration of the programme. Applicants should ensure they can meet this requirement prior to making an application. For more information, please visit our International Students page.