Navy Command - Naval Base Commander (Devonport) Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician Apprenticeship
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, which will give you a unique blend of hands-on experience and academic learning, setting you on the path to an exciting career in Defence.
Throughout the apprenticeship you will receive structured career development to enable you to gain the technical and leadership skills to shape your future and that of NBC(D`s) organisation.
Over the course of the three-year apprenticeship, apprentices will attend college on a combination of block/day release and have the opportunity to carry out engineering focused work placements within NBC(D`s) organisation. 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 / Skills England
N.B. Whilst some work placements may provide “hands on” engineering experience on successful completion of the apprenticeship including the end point assessment your role will primarily be office based.
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.
NBC(D) organisation employs both Civil Servants, and uniformed personnel working together in an open, flexible and supportive working environment across a wealth of interesting and challenging roles in a variety of disciplines, including engineering support roles.
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.
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.
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 have 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 will 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 when working offsite.
- Actively participate in work/college initiatives to support personal development.
- Actively participate in an Outward Bound programme.
- 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.
Person specification
The apprenticeship requires applicants to have minimum of GCSE English Language, Maths, and a Science (Level 4+/Grade C+ or equivalent) qualification.
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 2026 to be able to commence the apprenticeship early September 2026.
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-qua…) 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
The apprenticeship requires applicants to have minimum of GCSE English Language, Maths, and a Science (Level 4+/Grade C+ or equivalent) qualification.Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £27,650, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,010 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
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
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/.
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 however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. 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.
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability in no more than 500 words. 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.
At sift, you will be assessed against your Statement of suitability and the following Behaviours:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
At interview, you will be assessed against your Statement of suiability and the following Success Profiles:
Behaviours
- Working Together
Experience
- You will be asked to discuss an engineering and/or STEM activity or project you have been involved with at interview.
In cases of tied job candidate scores, the candidate with the higher score in the STEM related question will be selected.
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 2026 to be able to commence the apprenticeship early September 2026.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .
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.
The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.
The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.
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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 :
Recruitment team
Further information
Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. 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: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. 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: info@csc.gov.uk.Attachments
Navy Command Applicant guide Opens in new window (pdf, 2922kB)MOD Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)Salary range
- £27,650 per year