BAE Systems has announce that it's offering 568 apprenticeship places in 2014, the highest intake since the Company was formed some 14 years ago and 181 more places than the Company offered in 2013
According to a BAE Systems source the new recruits will work at sixteen of our sites in the UK and join the Company in September 2014, adding the increase can in part be attributed to a requirement for hundreds of highly skilled submarine manufacturing employees to meet the largest workload for two decades at the shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. It is said the yard is currently working on delivering the five remaining Astute class attack submarines and is recruiting to develop the new 'Successor' submarines which are due to replace the Vanguard class from 2028.
Vigilance learnt the announcement follows research by YouGov - commissioned by BAE Systems and the Royal Academy of Engineering in November - which revealed that public opinion regarding apprenticeships is changing rapidly, driving a boost in demand for places.
The research reveals almost half (46 per cent) of British parents of children aged 11-18 would encourage their children to take an apprenticeship. Forty-two per cent said that their perception of apprenticeships had changed positively in the last year, while over two-thirds (67 per cent) were pleased that apprenticeships are now presented as an attractive option for young people.
The BAE Systems said apprentices are part of the fabric of BAE Systems, with half of senior executives at the military aircraft business joining as apprentices.
Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director at BAE Systems said: “Our additional intake of apprentices this year reflects workload requirements at the submarines business but the number also demonstrates the fantastic contribution and value that apprenticeships bring to BAE Systems. Apprentices are a vital part of our talent pool and we find that our training programmes really help young people develop their full potential and become financially stable at a relatively young age. This is a win-win situation for our apprentices, our Company and the wider economy.”