Plymouth, South West England, PL2 2BG Job Summary Are you passionate about a career in Engineering? Do you want to be part of Defence and contribute to supporting the Fleet worldwide? Then apply for an apprenticeship within Naval Base Commander (Devonport`s) organisation, known as NBC(D). NBC(D`s) organisation is looking for enthusiastic, talented and motivated personnel to join our Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician Apprenticeship and become our engineering professionals of the future supporting operational capability and wider defence. NBC(D`S) organisation offers a 42 month Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician Apprenticeship, giving you a unique blend of hands-on experience and academic learning, setting you on the path to an exciting career in Defence. Over the course of the three-year apprenticeship, apprentices will attend college on a combination of block/day release and carry out engineering focused work placements within His Majesty`s Naval Base Devonport within NBC(D`s) organisation as well as the potential to work with a range of Industry Partners. You will also receive dedicated support as you work towards a Level 3 Engineering & Manufacturing Support Technician Apprenticeship (ST1395) qualification. A link to the standard can be accessed here: Engineering and manufacturing support technician / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education N.B. Whilst some work placements may provide “hands on” engineering experience on successful completion of the apprenticeship, your role will primarily be office based. The start date of the apprenticeship is expected to be early September 2025. HM Naval Base is one of the largest bases of its kind in western Europe and is a key Defence asset, acting as an operating and support base for the Royal Navy's ships and submarines, and elements of the Royal Marines. Working here offers opportunities which are varied, challenging and exciting; enabling and supporting the Royal Navy to generate and operate forces worldwide today and ensuring that we are ready for tomorrow by developing and delivering UK maritime capability for the future. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are dedicated to creating a great place to work that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. By bringing together different ideas, experiences, and perspectives, we can achieve our ambitions, together. You must have the right of abode in the UK and have been ordinarily 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. Job Description Phase 1: You will undergo initial Induction Training into the Civil Service before starting and attending college on a full-time basis developing your underpinning knowledge of engineering as well as carrying out a range of practical workshop tasks. During college half term periods you will have familiarisation visits in the Naval Base to develop your understanding of NBC(D`s) business in preparation for Phases 2 and 3. Phases 2 and 3: Typically, you will undertake four six-month work placements that will give you the opportunity to develop skills and experience while you play an active role in helping the business meet operational requirements and workplace objectives. Placements are flexible and will cover different areas within NBC(D`s) organisation and potentially the wider naval base to give you a broad experience of the organisation and the wider Defence organisations and Industry Partners we work with. Work placements will support your technical tasks associated with your apprenticeship as well as supporting your colleagues in their specialist area in achieving NBC(D`s) business objectives. The expectation is that you will be working on site the majority of your working week. During phases 2 and 3 you will also be required to attend college one day per week (day to be confirmed) in support of your Level 3 Engineering & Manufacturing Support Technician qualification. Your contracted hours will be 37 per week, although some additional study will be required in your own time to complete the academic part of the apprenticeship. Once you’ve successfully completed the apprenticeship, and end point assessment you will be invited to sit a suitability interview and may be offered an Executive Officer Development Post opportunity within NBC(D`s) organisation. To support your development, you’ll also be provided with Mentoring and Buddying opportunities, outreach activities, engagement with senior management, equipment familiarisation visits and networking opportunities. Phase 1: You will undergo initial Induction Training into the Civil Service before starting and attending college on a full-time basis developing your underpinning knowledge of engineering as well as carrying out a range of practical workshop tasks. During college half term periods you will have familiarisation visits in the Naval Base to develop your understanding of NBC(D`s) business in preparation for Phases 2 and 3. Phases 2 and 3: Typically, you will undertake four six-month work placements that will give you the opportunity to develop skills and experience while you play an active role in helping the business meet operational requirements and workplace objectives. Placements are flexible and will cover different areas within NBC(D`s) organisation and potentially the wider naval base to give you a broad experience of the organisation and the wider Defence organisations and Industry Partners we work with. Work placements will support your technical tasks associated with your apprenticeship as well as supporting your colleagues in their specialist area in achieving NBC(D`s) business objectives. The expectation is that you will be working on site the majority of your working week. During phases 2 and 3 you will also be required to attend college one day per week (day to be confirmed) in support of your Level 3 Engineering & Manufacturing Support Technician qualification. Your contracted hours will be 37 per week, although some additional study will be required in your own time to complete the academic part of the apprenticeship. Once you’ve successfully completed the apprenticeship, and end point assessment you will be invited to sit a suitability interview and may be offered an Executive Officer Development Post opportunity within NBC(D`s) organisation. To support your development, you’ll also be provided with Mentoring and Buddying opportunities, outreach activities, engagement with senior management, equipment familiarisation visits and networking opportunities. Person specification Successfully complete Phase 1 of Standard Base Training (SBT), including completing practical and written assignments as directed by the training provider and as stated in the apprenticeship standard. Successfully complete all aspects of Phase 2 and 3 SBT within specified time-frames to progress to the next phase of the apprenticeship/successful achievement of end point assessment. Responsible for managing own workload when in college/work placements including contributing to work placement team task/objectives and managing training provider assignment deadlines. When in work placements, contribute and support your respective teams in meeting NBC(D`s)/team and/or operational and delivery objectives. Collaborate with peers to achieve group projects/tasks as required by the training provider/MOD. Responsible for the Health and Safety of self, and others both in the workplace and offsite. Actively participate in work/college initiatives to support personal development. Support the junior phase of NBC(D`s) apprenticeship programme including mentoring support. Contribute and attend various apprentice management workshops in support of personal development and end point assessment. Support the apprentice management team with marketing events and apprenticeship fairs. Actively promote STEM within the local community, including attendance at schools/colleges. Adhere to the Civil Service Code of Conduct. Successfully complete MOD/local mandatory training. The apprenticeship requires you to have GCSE English Language, Maths, and a Science (Level 4/Grade C or equivalent) N.B. If you are applying with predicted grades, please tick to say you meet the GCSE/academic requirements or else your application will be rejected. Candidates with predictive grades will need to have confirmation of successful results by the end of August 2025 to be able to commence the apprenticeship early September 2025. 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. Qualifications GCSE English Language, Maths, and a Science (Level 4/Grade C or equivalent) N.B. If you are applying with predicted grades, please tick to say you meet the GCSE/academic requirements or else your application will be rejected. Candidates with predictive grades will need to have confirmation of successful results by the end of August 2025 to be able to commence the apprenticeship early September 2025. 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. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Working Together Delivering at Pace Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Discuss an engineering and/or STEM activity or project you have been involved with. Alongside your salary of £26,235, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,600 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Learning and development tailored to your role 25 days Annual Leave, rising to a maximum of 30 days. An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% This post does not offer relocation expenses 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 of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force 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 of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force 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. Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. ‘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.’ This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.. Application Process Your Personal Statement will be assessed at sift and at interview. We strongly recommend tailoring your personal statement to highlight your Key Achievements, Relevant Experience and Skills and Knowledge as well as describe your key attributes you believe that make you suitable to be part of the Ministry of Defence. Civil Service Success Profile behaviours: Delivering at Pace will be assessed at Sift; Working Together behaviour will be assessed at Sift, and at Interview. Technical Skills: You will asked to discuss an engineering and/or STEM activity or project you have been involved with at interview. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Interviews will be held face to face at HM Naval Base Devonport PL2 2BG.Candidates with predictive grades will need to have confirmation of successful results by the end of August 2025 to be able to commence the apprenticeship early September 2025. 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. You must have the right of abode in the UK and have been ordinarily 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. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into 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. The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and 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. 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. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. 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. 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 This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) 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. 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). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job Contact Name : Naval Base Commander (Devonport) Early Careers Team Email : NAVYNBCD-EARLYCAREERSmod.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : DBSCivPers-AMOmod.gov.uk Further information Applicants should monitor their Civil Service Jobs application centre regularly for updates. Some of MoD’s Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) changed from 3 February 2014. Those TACOS changes applied to Broader Banded and Skill Zone staff who were new recruits to MoD or who were appointed to a post on substantive promotion, progression or advancement. On the same basis, the TACOS for Departmental Retained Grades changed with effect from 01 September 2014. All employees joining MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date. Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. Complaints Please be aware that the selection and interviewing of applicants is the responsibility of the Recruiting Line Manager (RLM) and not the Defence Business Services (DBS) Resourcing team. DBS do not play any part in the selection and interview process. Therefore, if you wish to discuss your feedback, or you are dissatisfied with your markings, you should in the first instance raise this with the Recruiting Line Manager of the vacancy. If You Are Dissatisfied With The Service You Have Received From DBS, Or Believe That DBS Has Failed To Follow The Recruitment Process In Line With The Civil Service Commission Principles Of Selection For Appointment On Merit On The Basis Of Fair And Open Competition, You Can Raise a Formal Complaint. By Writing To DBS At The Following Address Complaints Management Team, Defence Business Services, Oak Building Mail Point 6109, MOD Abbey Wood North, Bristol, BS34 8QW If After Raising Your Complaint With DBS You Remain Dissatisfied You Can Complain Directly To The Civil Service Commission At The Following Address Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: infocsc.gov.uk Cabinet Office Fraud Checks Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant whose details are found to be held on the IFD will be refused employment Civil Service Recruitment Principles Please see the link below for the civil service recruitment principles. https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/ To find out a bit more about what it’s like working for MOD, visit the Civil Service Careers Website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/departments/working-for-the-ministry-of-defence/ Please see the MOD Privacy Notice link below which describes how we will use your personal data, explains your rights and gives you information you are entitled to under Data Protection legislation. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-defence-privacy-notice/mod-privacy-notice