In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, our Chief People Officer, Louise Atkinson, explains the importance of equipping our apprentices with the skills they need to build a career with purpose, and outlines how we’re broadening and diversifying our emerging talent pipeline.
Apprentices are at the heart of our long‑term growth. As we continue a record recruitment drive across the UK, we’re creating around 1,600 emerging talent roles during 2025/26. From supporting submarines beneath the waves to delivering secure communications in space, we offer apprentices careers that make a difference.
As a global defence company operating in safety‑critical and highly technical environments, we rely on a skilled workforce capable of harnessing evolving technologies and maintaining excellence under pressure. To keep these critical programmes running, we’re investing in the next generation: providing them with the skills needed to build meaningful careers while developing a long‑term talent pipeline that can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Building the skills of the future
At Babcock, we’re setting our sights across generations, not just quarters. With engineering and defence facing well‑documented skills shortages, investing in the long term is essential. Our apprenticeships span both heritage trades and digital disciplines, combining classroom learning with practical experience.
This approach ensures apprentices develop capabilities aligned to industry standards and our own rigorous operational and safety requirements. By equipping them with the skills of the future, we enable them to build a purposeful career from day one, while also ensuring the UK has the skilled workforce needed to support its sovereign defence capabilities for decades to come.
For our apprentices, development and progression continues after the programmes finish—with many going on to study other apprenticeships or charterships. This alongside our dedication to upskilling our workforce means the opportunity for learning and developing continues throughout their career. Many of our senior leaders began their careers as apprentices, demonstrating just how far our people can go.
Breaking down barriers to meaningful careers
The complex and critical work we do means many of the skills we need are in short supply, so we’re taking an innovative, more inclusive, approach to widening access. Through our engineering pre‑apprenticeship programme, delivered with local education providers, we’ve opened up opportunities to a broader range of people. The year‑long programme offers an alternative entry route for those who may not yet meet full apprenticeship criteria, providing hands‑on engineering experience and guaranteed progression onto a Babcock apprenticeship for those that successfully complete the course.
Our commitment to social mobility and inclusion is also reflected in our use of gamification as part of the pre‑apprenticeship selection process. This tool allows candidates to demonstrate various skills through a fun platform with mini‑games, helping us reach a different demographic than our usual apprenticeship recruits.
In addition, we’ve modernised our recruitment processes to make a career at Babcock accessible to the broadest possible pool of talent from all walks of life. This includes ensuring job design, advertising, screening, and selection are structured to attract and assess diverse talent while promoting social mobility in our local communities. Supported by flexible working, family‑friendly policies and dedicated systems, this broader commitment to inclusion and wellbeing further enhances learner outcomes.
A strategic investment
Apprenticeships are more than just a training scheme; they are a way to embed our purpose and principles from day one. Apprentices learn the importance of safety, quality, and collaboration as part of their development. This early exposure ensures they grow into professionals who uphold the standards that define our reputation.
By investing in apprenticeships, we’re investing in our future—enabling us to build a skilled and diverse workforce that’s ready to tackle tomorrow’s challenges. By nurturing talent through structured programmes, we’re securing the expertise needed to deliver critical services for our customers and help to create a safe and secure world, together.
Ready to engineer a career with purpose? Search our current apprenticeship vacancies and apply here: https://emergingtalent.babcockinternational.com/apprenticeships/