Apprentices BAE and Babcock cannot take offered elsewhere

Strong apprenticeship applicants who cannot be offered a place by BAE Systems or Babcock will be put in front of smaller firms in the same communities under a scheme launched at Barrow-in-Furness, with pilots covering the North West and Devonport, according to The 5% Club.

The Apprenticeship Talent Bridge was opened by Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, at an event bringing together defence employers, local businesses and government. Babcock supports the South West pilot covering Devonport and BAE Systems supports the North West pilot covering Barrow-in-Furness and the Preston area. Apprentices will be matched to smaller companies from April 2027, with sign-up opening this month.

The charity said major defence employers attract large numbers of applicants for their apprenticeship programmes but cannot offer a place to every strong candidate, while other employers in the same communities struggle to attract the people and skills they need. Research published by Make UK in March found half of manufacturers identify skills shortages as their biggest barrier to growth.

Mark Cameron, chief executive of The 5% Club, said: “Talent shouldn’t be lost because opportunity can’t be seen. Major employers have more talented apprenticeship applicants than they can employ, while other businesses are struggling to find the people they need.

“The Apprenticeship Talent Bridge connects the two. It is a simple idea, but one that could keep more talent in the sector, open up opportunities young people may never have known existed, and help employers access the skills they need to grow.”

Tania Gandamihardja, group human resources director at BAE Systems, set out the scale of the company’s intake and the competition for places: “Over the last decade, we’ve recruited more than 9,000 apprentices across the UK and know first-hand the value that apprenticeships bring to individuals, businesses and the wider industrial base. They’re one of the best routes into a skilled and rewarding career, but that also makes them highly sought-after.

“By connecting applicants with fantastic opportunities elsewhere in the sector and with our supply chain SMEs, we can help more young people take that first step, while also supporting businesses across the North West to access the talent and skills they need to grow.”

Debbie Joce, skills director at Babcock, said: “Apprenticeships are vital to the future workforce and the long-term success of the defence industry. At Babcock, we recognise the role we play in creating these opportunities, not just within our own organisation but across the communities where we live and work.

“The Apprenticeship Talent Bridge is a great way of industry working together with government to open doors and create opportunities across the wider employer and supply chain community. By helping more people access high-value, skilled careers, we can make the most of the talent coming through and help ensure that talented people aren’t lost.”

Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said: “Every young person who shows the talent and drive to succeed in defence deserves a route into the industry. Initiatives like this make that happen, with industry working together to build skills, create jobs, and strengthen our defence industrial base for the long term.”

McFadden said: “This partnership will open doors for young people to exciting careers in the defence industry and help businesses boost their talent pipeline. More opportunities for our young people seeking a career in defence will help to boost our engineering and manufacturing skills base and ensure they benefit as we deliver record increases in defence spending.”

The two pilot areas are the obvious places to start, because Barrow builds the submarines and Devonport refits them, and both have supply chains full of firms competing for the same machinists, electrical technicians and welders as the yard down the road. A candidate good enough to reach the final stages at BAE Systems is more than good enough for a tier two supplier, and until now that candidate simply disappeared.

Participation is voluntary and applicant data is shared only with consent, with employers keeping their own selection processes. The initiative is funded by Ufi VocTech Trust and the ERA Foundation with in-kind investment from the charity, and draws on insight from Airbus Defence and Space.

It builds on a commitment in the Defence Industrial Strategy to develop a clearing-style approach for defence apprenticeship and graduate applicants. The Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge set a wider no wrong door approach, an ambition to increase opportunities for under twenty fives by a quarter to more than forty thousand a year by the end of this Parliament, and support for at least fourteen thousand people annually through apprenticeships across defence and its supply chain by 2035.