Successful applicants will undertake a comprehensive program of study associated with the Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer standard ST0289: Nuclear scientist and nuclear engineer (integrated degree) / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. This is a four-year apprenticeship starting in September 2025. During the four-year scheme, your Permanent Duty Station will be MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, however, year one of the scheme will be full time in college. Following a successful Gateway Interview, at the end of YearOne, you will proceed to the next phase of your apprenticeship. During Years Two to Four you will have the opportunity to carry out a number of work-based technical placements and defence specific nuclear training at any of these locations: Barrow-in-Furness, Bristol, Helensburgh, Plymouth, Rosyth. Whilst in placements, you will continue with your foundation degree with block release attendance at college. On successful completion of Year Three and following a further successful Gateway Interview, you will be offered a permanent contract, and will progress onto the final stage of the apprenticeship to complete your full degree, whilst continuing to undertake work-based technical placements across defence. On successful completion of the scheme and End Point Assessment at the end of Year Four you will be appointed to a role within the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, and you may be given the opportunity to permanently relocate to one of our waterfront locations listed above. During the first year of your apprenticeship you will be required to attend full time collage, during some of the college holidays you will be required to attend activities at MOD establishments you will be required to take fixed holiday time of two weeks at Christmas and a week of Easter. In subsequent years outside of college term times there could be opportunity for hybrid and flexible working but you will need regular workplace attendance due to security constraints and business requirements. This can be discussed with you trainee scheme manager at the appropriate time. Due to the secure nature of these positions, posts will be reserved for UK Nationals only and may require you to obtain Developed Vetting clearance once in post. You must have the right of abode in the UK and have been ordinarily a resident in the EEA (including other countries determined within the EEA or those with bilateral agreements), for at least the previous three years on the first day of learning. Further information on Nationality Requirements is available. Your Responsibilities: Throughout your scheme, you will be supported by your Apprentice Manager, as well as a Placement Supervisor to reach your full potential and become a real asset to the SDA Engineering Function and beyond. You will participate in various professional and personal development opportunities and workshops as well as a peer mentoring scheme, with plenty of opportunities to participate in structured training and to gather experience and knowledge through several work-based placements, to learn and then apply nuclear engineering/scientific concepts and principles in a defence environment. During the first year of your apprenticeship you will be required to attend full time college, during some of the college holidays you will be required to attend activities at MOD establishments you will be required to take fixed holiday time of two weeks at Christmas and a week of Easter. In subsequent years outside of college term times there could be the opportunity for hybrid and flexible working but you will need regular workplace attendance due to security constraints and business requirements. This can be discussed with your trainee scheme manager at the appropriate time. Person specification Candidates are asked to provide their CV as part of the application process and will be utilised at sift. You must demonstrate the following essential criteria: 1) 5 GCSEs at grade C to A or Grades 4 9 including English Language, Mathematics, and a Science / Engineering subject plus two additional subjects. In addition you will need to hold one of the following options or have Predicted grades that you will achieve before September 2025: 2) 3 A Levels which must include Mathematics, Science and one other subject. Grades expected are C-A or grades 4-9. Or 3) A National Diploma in engineering with a minimum value of 96 UCAS Points Or 4) Equivalent in a STEM based subjects could be considered as meeting the mandated application criteria, including a BTEC L3 advanced diploma, HNC,HND in STEM based subjects. Non-Requirement but can be accepted instead of 2, 3 or 4. 5) Higher qualifications such as Foundation Degree or Degree (in a STEM based subjects Candidates are asked to distinguish between an English Language or English Literature qualification awarded. Please see the guide for acceptable equivalents What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-level) and (https://scqf.org.uk/media/e5pjypw4/qccb-web-oct-2019.pdf) for Scotland. Evidence of the above qualifications will be required as part of your pre-employment checks before a formal offer can be made. UCAS Tariff calculator: https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator Applicants with predicted grades should check that when asked if they have the mandatory grades they tick YES, otherwise their application will automatically be rejected. Formal certificates must be provided within three months of signing the contract. Failure to provide this will result in your contract being withdrawn. It is also beneficial to your application if you can demonstrate the following desirable criteria: Relevant work experience, demonstrating engineering project skills, including through internships or placements. Candidate Research : In preparation for your interview, I would strongly suggest that you undertake research on the SDA and the Apprenticeship Scheme, so that you understand the role you have applied for. Technical Question Preparation : In order to assess your understanding around engineering concepts, you will be asked a series of questions based around the CADMID cycle model, specifically relating to submarines. The CADMID cycle model is how the Ministry of Defence manages equipment; It covers Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service and Disposal of submarines. Please familiarise yourself with the CADMID cycle by doing your own online research and consider how this applies to submarines. Using Notes : You may use bullet point notes but make sure that they are short reminders so that you can keep your focus on your interviewers; please do not read from a pre-prepared script. Qualifications 1) 5 GCSEs at grade C to A or Grades 4 9 including English Language, Mathematics, and a Science / Engineering subject plus two additional subjects. In addition you will need to hold one of the following options or have Predicted grades that you will achieve before September 2025: 2) 3 A Levels which must include Mathematics, Science and one other subject. Grades expected are C-A or grades 4-9. Or 3) A National Diploma in engineering with a minimum value of 96 UCAS Points Or 4) Equivalent in a STEM based subjects could be considered as meeting the mandated application criteria, including a BTEC L3 advanced diploma, HNC,HND in STEM based subjects. Non-Requirement but can be accepted instead of 2, 3 or 4. 5) Higher qualifications such as Foundation Degree or Degree (in a STEM based subjects Please see the guide for acceptable equivalents What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-level) and (https://scqf.org.uk/media/e5pjypw4/qccb-web-oct-2019.pdf) for Scotland. Evidence of the above qualifications will be required as part of your pre-employment checks before a formal offer can be made. UCAS Tariff calculator: https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator Candidates are asked to distinguish between an English Language or English Literature qualification awarded. Applicants with predicted grades should check that when asked if they have the mandatory grades they tick YES, otherwise their application will automatically be rejected. Formal certificates must be provided within three months of signing the contract. Failure to provide this will result in your contract being withdrawn. Evidence of the above qualifications will be required as part of your pre-employment checks before a formal offer can be made. If successful you will be asked to provide evidence that you meet the stated qualification criteria Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Working Together Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Technical Decision Making (Awareness) Application of Analytical Techniques (Awareness) Benefits Alongside your salary of 25,970, Ministry of Defence contributes 7,523 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. You will receive learning and development opportunities tailored to your role A generous benefits package including market leading employer pension contributions of around 21% of your salary (not including any personal contribution) 25 days holiday 1 additional day every year you work up to 30 days. SDA benefits also include: flexible working after 6 months in the business, depending on academic requirements MOD Discount Schemes Health and Wellbeing support family friendly initiatives and so much more. Take a look at our SDA Benefits Wheel (see below), to find out more about what we have to offer and our SDA Employee Value Proposition for an insight into why the SDA should be your next career choice, click here Discover My Benefits Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD. https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/ The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use ofall tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is WholeForce and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments. Hybrid Working Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). DBS cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use ofall tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is WholeForce and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected. At sift, you will be assessed on: Core Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing Working Together At Interview, you will be assessed on; Core Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing Working Together Technical Competencies: Technical Decision Making (Awareness) Application of Analytical Techniques (Awareness) Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Please note offers of employment are subject to achieving satisfactory pre-employment and security checks. These include an Occupational Health Assessment and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). As part of this you will need to confirm your identity, employment/education history, nationality and any criminal record (unspent convictions only). The level of security needed is Security Check (SC ) and you should usually have been continuously resident in the UK for 5 years immediately before clearance action commences. If you have lived overseas or travelled extensively during this period, it may affect the length of time to obtain full security clearance and this may affect your offer of employment. It is essential that ALL requests for information are completed fully and timely, as incomplete information may result in significant delays. Offers of employment are also subject to candidates achieving acceptable grades where predicted. Because of the classification of much of the role, all posts will be open to UK Nationals only. Further information on Nationality Requirements is attached below. Nationality Requirements - Further Information for Candidates 1. This post is classed as Reserved as per Civil Service Nationality Rules Section 3. In accordance with these rules, only UK nationals may be employed in reserved posts in the Civil Service1 (Paragraph. 3.1). UK National Definition 2. The definition of a UK National can be found at Paragraphs. 1.4-1.8 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Dual Nationals 3. As per Paragraph. 1.41 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules : 4. Candidates with dual nationality are in principle eligible for employment in the Civil Service provided that they meet the requirements in relation to one of their nationalities [i.e. UK National]. They may not be eligible, however, for employment in certain reserved posts where additional nationality requirements are imposed. Additional Restrictions for Reserved Posts 5. As per Paragraphs. 3.10-3.11 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules : 6. departments and agencies are entitled to impose additional requirements in reserved posts if this is considered necessary. This could include, for example, requirements as to the residency of the applicant or the nationality of one or both parents of the applicant. 7. If you are a Dual National who possesses UK Nationality and wish to check your eligibility for the post, please contact our recruiting team at the details below. Please be advised that we will not be able to provide a justification for our decision for security reasons. 8. Irish nationals and Commonwealth citizens are also eligible for employment in reserved posts if they were in the Civil Service at 31 May 1996 or before, or were appointed from a recruitment scheme with a closing date for receipt of applications before 1 June 1996. (Paragraph. 3.1) If you are a permanent MoD civil servant and are found successful for an advertised Fixed-term Appointment (FTA) you should move into the post under a Temporary Transfer for up to a maximum of 23 months. At the end of the posting, you will return to your previous MoD Business area. If this posting is at a higher grade, your promotion will be temporary, and you will return to your substantive grade at the end of the Temporary Transfer. If a Temporary Transfer cannot be agreed between all parties, then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA and Change of Work Location in the UK policy for further information. If you are transferring to MoD from another government department (OGD) you should join the MoD on an inward loan. At the end of the loan, you will return to your home (OGD) department. If a loan cannot be agreed between all parties, then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA policy for further information. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn. No application can be accepted after the closing date. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements Open to UK nationals only. Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .