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January 9, 2025
Key Takeaways
BAE Systems’ major investment in Portsmouth and southern England is opening up hundreds of engineering roles. Graduates, apprentices, and early-career professionals stand to benefit, particularly in high-technology and defence programmes.
Royal Navy: High-skilled engineering jobs coming to Portsmouth and South England after BAE Systems investment
Defence giant BAE Systems is investing millions of pounds into projects in Portsmouth and the South of England. It’s expected this investment will generate more than 350 new jobs for the area, with graduates and apprentices being targeted for new roles.
BAE Systems is the UK’s largest defence contractor, working closely with organisations like the Royal Navy to deliver projects that are crucial for UK defence. They will be looking for highly skilled personnel across a wide range of disciplines to fill over 100 roles in Portsmouth and over 370 throughout the South of England. This is in addition to thousands of open vacancies currently available throughout the entirety of the UK.
The emphasis of their latest recruitment drive and job creation is on high-technology programmes. This will be a unique opportunity for recent graduates and those at the start of their engineering careers to get involved with high-profile programmes, including the Global Combat Air Programme and the UK’s next-generation submarines known as SSN-AUKUS.
BAE Systems is known for taking care of their employees, offering above-market salaries, a generous pension scheme, and training opportunities. For graduates looking at the job market, there are few better places to begin their careers than with a large organisation like BAE Systems. The undergraduates, graduates, and apprentices will benefit from clear support from day one, along with excellent job security.
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of Roles | Over 350 new engineering positions expected in southern England. |
| Targeted Candidates | Apprentices, graduates, and early-career engineers. |
| Programme Areas | Defence programmes including SSN-AUKUS, steelwork, software, and cybersecurity. |
| Benefits & Support | Structured training, competitive pay, pension schemes, and job security. |
| Inclusion & Culture | Focus on gender parity, social mobility, and inclusive policies. |
New roles will be created in a wide range of sectors, including steelwork, engineering, cybersecurity, software development, project management, and finance. The focus of these new roles will be on developing graduate talent and training the next generation of defence engineers and innovators. Once these newly created positions have been filled, apprentice, undergraduate, and graduate-level candidates will make up 15% of the workforce.
BAE Systems is also committed to gender equality, with a pledge that by 2030, women should make up 50% of their workforce and 30% of the executive committee. This isn’t the only way they are making a difference, as the employer is also an independently accredited menopause-friendly employer while also being committed to the Social Mobility Pledge.
This record-level funding will be spent on education, training, and skills for the UK-wide workforce while also creating new engineering roles for those at the start of their careers. An apprenticeship with BAE Systems is one of the best ways to earn while you learn and can be taken up by school leavers, university graduates, or those looking for a change in career later in life.
Defence-Tech Opportunities
This investment is rooted in defence and high-technology work, offering engineers experience in cutting-edge programmes like submarines and the Global Combat Air initiative.
Careers at All Levels
From apprenticeships and graduates to experienced hires, this hiring drive provides diverse entry points and clear growth paths.
The UK government is currently in the process of reviewing investment and spending into the UK’s defences, including investment in the Royal Navy. With global tensions rising, it is anticipated that investment will need to increase in order to maintain and upgrade defences. At present, the UK spends around £50 billion per year on defence, but experts say that this needs to be closer to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. NATO guidelines are for every member country to invest 2% of GDP into defence, but pledges to increase this to 2.5% made by the previous Conservative government have been continued by the present Labour government.
In short, this means that the sector will only become stronger, and this could result in far more employment opportunities, particularly for those at the start of their careers who are hungry to learn. If you’re interested in learning more about BAE Systems and Royal Navy opportunities in the South of England, please get in touch with our team. We can help to match you with your next opportunity.
Interested in exploring engineering roles with BAE Systems or similar organisations? Browse CMD Recruitment’s current vacancies to take the next step in your career.
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