Apprentice Nuclear Engineer Review

Item: Apprentice Nuclear Engineer at BAE Systems
Rating: 4.4
Author: Anonymous

at BAE Systems

Degree Apprenticeship

Engineering

Barrow-in-Furness

Review Submitted: April 2026

Overall Rating

4.4 /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!

4/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

4.6/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

4/5

Job roles and responsibilities change every 3-6 months. As an apprentice, you rotate around different nuclear related departments until you soft exit into a role of your choosing. These roles can be related to technical documents, test and commissioning, safety, quality, build strategy, and many more.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

Workload can vary from area to area, meaning that it can be slow at times or very busy at others. The work itself can be very interesting, as everything you do is related to the build of a nuclear submarine, whether that be working on the boat itself or in an office.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

I've learnt how to more effectively act as a team, manage my own workload, and improved upon my communication skills. On top of this, I have gained ample knowledge on the business as a whole and have developed skills and behaviours key to my day-to-day role.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

5/5

The rotation schedule is one of the best things about the apprenticeship, being able to get a taste for different departments and seeing which ones you like more than others. This helps in choosing an exit role that you will enjoy.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

Support is vast and there if you need it. The functional leads and skill coaches provide a lot of support, providing catch ups and helping you through each step of the programme. There are also ample services regarding health and wellbeing that can be utilised, such as the onsite GP or the Employee Assistance Program.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

4/5

They arrange one to ones with their skill coaches every 12 weeks, provide additional online sessions most weeks and suggest study days that my employer will always happily approve.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

4/5

I'm not too far into the degree (1.5/5 years) so I haven't encountered a particularly technical module yet. There are bits and pieces here and there that can assist in your role, such as nuclear physics, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more relevance in future modules.

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

There are numerous opportunities to get involved in. That could be visiting another UK nuclear sites (Heysham), assisting the company in completing a security exercise, attempting Nuclear Scholars events and giving talks/presentations and many more. Externally, apprentices organise sports events, night outs, and ski trips abroad.