BAE Systems to invest £1 Billion in skills and create 2,400 early career roles in 2025
BAE Systems has announced a record £1 billion investment in education and skills since 2020, with plans to recruit more than 2,400 apprentices, undergraduates, and graduates in 2025.
The company is set to recruit 2,400 apprentices, graduates, and undergraduates next year, increasing its total number of trainees to 6,500—15% of its UK workforce.
Expansion of training and employment opportunities
The planned 2,400 new positions for 2025 include nearly 1,300 apprenticeship roles and over 1,100 graduate and undergraduate opportunities. These roles will span various disciplines, including engineering, cyber security, software development, and project management. Successful applicants will contribute to high-tech defense programs such as the Global Combat Air Program and SSN-AUKUS submarines.
First-year electrical engineering apprentice Francesca Di Mascio reflected on her experience:
“Doing an apprenticeship is a great opportunity to earn while you learn. The job was everything I’d hoped for, plus the extra benefit of being part of the community in the shipyard gives me an extra sense of purpose.”
Supporting the UK’s industrial skills base
The company’s £230 million investment in 2025 will support apprenticeships, graduate training, employee upskilling, and education outreach initiatives. This funding includes the recent opening of a third skills academy in Glasgow, adding to existing academies in Barrow and Samlesbury.
John Healey, UK Secretary of State for Defense, highlighted the importance of these efforts:
“BAE Systems are a leading light in the UK defense industry and play a crucial role in keeping the men and women of our Armed Forces equipped on the front line. Defense offers exciting careers and his investment is a vote of confidence in the UK as a leader for cutting-edge employment, creating highly skilled jobs across the UK.
“National security is the foundation for national stability and growth. Our Defense Industrial Strategy will ensure our defense sector is an engine for jobs and growth, strengthening our security and our economy.”
BAE Systems continues to promote diversity in its workforce. In 2024, 30% of its new apprentice starters were female, compared to the UK engineering industry average of 15%. Additionally, one in three new graduate hires came from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive of BAE Systems, emphasized the importance of this investment:
“As the UK’s largest defense company, we rely on the skill and ingenuity of those who deliver our programs, which is why it’s so crucial we continue to invest in our people.
“With thousands of roles open for application across the length and breadth of the country and our exciting high technology programs, there has never been a better time to embark on a new career with us.”
