2026 Vessel Master Apprentice – Level 3 Boatmaster

Location: Turnchapel, United Kingdom

Thales people provide armed forces customers with operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defence mission systems solutions at land, sea, and air. Our platforms extend across the battlespace including Above and Sonar, Electronic Combat, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

2026 Vessel Master Apprentice – Level 3 Boatmaster

Start Date: 07 September 2026

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Employee type: Permanent

Location: Turnchapel

Working Schedule: 37 hours a week, Monday – Thursday 8 hours a day, Friday 5 hours (0800 to 1700 with 1 hr for lunch)

Are you passionate about engineering? Do you have an inquisitive mind? Do you want to be part of an Apprentice Programme that will develop and challenge you? If so, then look no further…

What the role has to offer:

• Earn while you learn
• Job specific training experience
• Recognised qualifications
• Permanent role from day one
• Tuition fees for university or approved training providers are fully covered
  
  
  

As a Vessel Master Apprentice you will support our high-tech marine operations at Turnchapel. This is a unique opportunity to develop hands-on skill and gain specialist knowledge while working alongside expert engineering and vessel operations teams. Key responsibilities will include:

• Support both harbour and sea integration testing on Thales UK vessels, assisting with setup, monitoring, and test activities
• Assist the engineering team with basic vessel maintenance tasks such as equipment checks, repairs, and routine upkeep
• Provide support during ad-hoc water-based trials conducted out of Turnchapel, including vessel preparation and data collection
• Gain a working knowledge of maritime autonomous systems used at Turnchapel through hands-on experience and training
  
  
  

Apprentice Programme

You will be working towards the Boatmaster Level 3 Apprenticeship over a 2 year period with our training partner SeaRegs. This covers a wide range of commercial activity on inland tidal and non-tidal waterways in the UK. The training will take place in one and two-week blocks over the programme duration. The rest of the time you will be working in the business, applying your learning and gaining experience.

To operate lawfully all apprentices will be required to obtain a Boatmaster licence from the Maritime Coastguard Agency – the apprenticeship will help to prepare you to obtain this. Apprentices will also gain a commercial skippers licence for vessels up to 20 miles out to sea. Training will lead to a practical and theory-based End Point Assessment, in which apprentices will gain the SQA qualification and will be put forward to sit the MCA Boatmaster Tier 1 Level 2 qualification.

Requirements:

• 5 GCSEs grade 9-4 (A-C) including English and Maths
  
  
  

Benefits:

• 201 hours annual leave (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Life Insurance
• Discount Portal
• Performance-related pay uplifts
• 80 Hours Volunteering (first two years)
  
  
  

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2026. Induction week for all Graduates and Apprentices will take place from Monday 7 September - Friday 11 September 2026.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Thursday 12 February 2026, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2026 with details of next steps.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ROLES MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN THE ADVERTISED DEADLINE IF WE RECEIVE A HIGH NUMER OF APPLICATIONS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID MISSING OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Recruitment Process:

For further information about our Future Talent recruitment process, including hints and tips, or to connect with a member of the Future Talent Team, a Graduate, or an Apprentice, please visit Thales Future Talent - Connectr.

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, all of our roles are subject to security restrictions.

All successful candidates must possess the permanent right to work in the UK, and will be required to go through Government security clearance at BPSS Level and to obtain full Security Clearance (SC) in line with the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) requirements below, prior to starting with us.

This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance.

To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. As part of the vetting process you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, eligibility to work in the UK, time spent abroad over the last 5 years, as well as employment and / or educational history.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/nationa…

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!