2026 Systems Engineering Apprentice - Crawley

Thales is recruiting Systems Engineering Degree Apprentices to start on 7 September 2026 in Crawley. This paid, four-year degree apprenticeship (Level 6) combines on-the-job experience at Thales with university study at the University of Warwick’s Applied Professional Engineering Programme (Product Design and Development pathway).

You will work within Thales’ Systems function, supporting systems requirements and design work, participating in project reviews, system test and occasional site visits.

The role develops technical systems engineering skills including requirements capture, systems design, IVVQ (integration, validation, verification & qualification), use of engineering tools and methods, and project documentation. Apprentices will follow a blended learning model with on-campus delivery and virtual coaching; the first two years cover broad engineering fundamentals and years three and four focus on a specialist pathway.

The apprenticeship is full-time (37 hours per week) and includes employee benefits such as pension contributions, health insurance, annual leave and volunteering hours.

Applicants must meet the essential qualifications (5 GCSEs including Maths & English, A Levels including Maths plus a further STEM subject) and have right to work in the UK. Successful applicants will undergo BPSS and full Security Clearance (SC) checks and must be able to provide the required residency and verification information as part of vetting.