BAE Programs, the UK’s largest defence firm, is about to recruit a document 2,400 apprentices, undergraduates, and graduates subsequent yr, marking a major milestone in its ongoing funding in workforce growth.
This consumption will deliver the whole variety of trainees throughout the FTSE 100 group to six,500 — roughly 15% of its UK workforce.
The defence large, identified for constructing the nation’s nuclear submarines and fighter jets, employs 100,000 individuals globally. Its dedication to abilities growth has seen an annual acceleration in funding because the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequent yr’s £230 million spend on training initiatives will push BAE’s complete funding in abilities to over £1 billion since 2020.
The funding helps apprenticeships, graduate programmes, and upskilling current workers whereas additionally backing outreach initiatives like the corporate’s third abilities academy, lately opened in Glasgow.
Charles Woodburn, BAE’s chief government, highlighted the significance of investing in expertise to ship cutting-edge programmes: “With thousands of roles open across the country and our exciting high-technology programmes, there has never been a better time to embark on a career with us.”
John Healey, the defence secretary, praised BAE’s early careers schemes as important to sustaining nationwide safety capabilities and fostering the following technology of commercial leaders. “This investment is a vote of confidence in the UK as a hub for highly skilled jobs and cutting-edge employment,” he added.
Range stays a precedence for BAE Programs. Of this yr’s new apprentices, almost a 3rd are girls, and one in three graduate starters come from ethnic minority backgrounds. Francesca Di Mascio, 27, {an electrical} engineering apprentice, shared her expertise: “This apprenticeship is a great opportunity to earn while you learn. For the first time, I feel truly valued in a business.”
BAE’s recruitment drive indicators a robust dedication to shaping a talented and various workforce to satisfy the calls for of the UK’s defence business and past.
