HR Digital Design Apprentice Review
at Thales
Degree Apprenticeship
Human Resources, UX/UI Design
Crawley, West Sussex
Review Submitted: March 2026
Overall Rating
5 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
5/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
My role as a HR Digital Design Apprentice is to create and design user friendly products for our employees across the UK and external talent pipeline. This includes redesigning reward platforms, designing and creating content for recruitment platforms, include those for graduates, apprentices and military service leavers, and working on national campaigns such as carers week and a recent digital DNA movement.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
My university course in Digital User Experience at Manchester Metropolitan University is excellent, as it covers a broad variety of aspects within the UX discipline, such as: research, accessibility, ethics and design. It has also given me the opportunity to meet other apprentices working at different companies across the UK.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
One of the key skills I have developed is my communication skills. I have done this by presenting to the statutory board internally, at the future talent induction week to over 180 graduates and apprentices, and at a military insight event for service leavers. My teamwork skills have also developed through working with those within the team, the wider HR function and some employees from other parts of the business.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
My programme is very well structured - I go to university 6 times a year for a week, where I travel up and stay at a hotel in Manchester. Internally, I work in 4 week sprints to ensure my workload is manageable.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
There is plenty of support at Thales - I have 2 line managers and a future talent manager, who checks in on me regarding my wellbeing and apprenticeship course. There is also a future talent team as well as mental health first aiders across the business who I can go to for support.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
I have a skills coach at university who I have quarterly calls with regarding my apprenticeship, wellbeing and KSB's. There is also a course lead who I can contact if I have any concerns, and lecturers make themselves available if I have any questions regarding their specific module.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
My university course gives me a broad range of knowledge across the UX discipline. I am then able to take this knowledge back to the workplace to improve existing platforms and contribute to new projects I am working on.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
Yes - we have lots of networks that I could get involved in under the 'Be You, With Us' umbrella, including neurodiversity, women and accessibility networks. There is also a future talent committee made up of graduates and apprentices across the UK that organise regular coffee mornings and social events.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Thales to a friend?
Yes
Why?
The people are what make Thales - I have genuinely enjoyed working with everyone so far and the company culture is brilliant. There is also a range of opportunities and projects that I have had the privilege to be involved in, meaning no one day is the same!
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Thales?
The main thing is to be yourself! Everyone at Thales respects and appreciates others for who they truly are, so during interviews and group exercises display your true self. In group exercises, make sure to come up with your own innovative ideas, and bring those quieter into the conversation too. Ensure you prepare for your interviews and answer as thoroughly as possible - make sure to say what you did too, not what somebody else in the team did!
