Fylde aircraft maker launches new high level apprenticeship

BAE Systems has partnered with Cranfield University to offer Masters level qualifications.

The first cohort of 76 engineers began the academic element of their level 7 apprenticeship yesterday, undertaking modules including design-driven innovation, operations management and cost engineering.

Modules will be carried out alongside their engineers’ day-to-day roles within the business via online teaching.

Apprentices will get a Post-Graduate Diploma in Engineering Competence – a key step towards reaching Chartered Engineering accreditation.

Anyone interested in an apprenticeship at BAE Systems this year can choose from 650 apprenticeship training places, including 120 at post-graduate level.

Richard Hamer, director of education and Skills at BAE Systems, said: “We’re excited to be the trailblazer for this new qualification and delighted that our graduate engineers are able to partner with such a prestigious institution as Cranfield.”

He said the postgraduate diploma will allow graduate engineers to apply their learning in a work-based context, with the assessment focused on competency.

Professor Rajkumar Roy, director of manufacturing at Cranfield University, said: “Through online delivery, engineers will be able to study through both live interactive and ‘on-demand’ sessions.”

Christian Balan, aircraft maintenance and support graduate at Warton, said: “Having already completed a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London, I was looking for something that would further develop and hone my skills whilst pursuing a structured development framework towards the CEng accreditation.

"The post-graduate apprenticeship scheme with BAE Systems and Cranfield University immediately felt like the right fit for me, offering a wider variety of modules and learning opportunities in areas adjacent to standard engineering subjects.

Ultimately this opportunity allows me to carry out my current role within the Military Air business, whilst merging the invaluable experiences gathered on the job with the academic excellence of the university.

“The modules available to me will also help bring me closer to my ultimate goal of achieving a Chief Engineering qualification with Royal Aeronautical Society, for which a wider range of technical skills and competences should be complemented by an accountable, well-rounded engineer.”