2027 Project Planning & Controls Apprentice

Location: Crawley, United Kingdom

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

2027 Project Planning & Controls Apprentice – Level 4 Project Management Associate Apprenticeship

Start Date: Monday 6 September 2027

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Employee Type: Permanent

Location: Crawley

Working Schedule: 37 hours per week (8 hours Monday – Thursday, 5 hours on a Friday)

Transform your curiosity into a rewarding career. If you’re passionate about projects and eager to learn, this apprenticeship is perfect for you. Combining academic study with hands-on, practical experience, it offers a fantastic opportunity to grow and thrive within a global, innovative & industry leading organisation. We’d love to hear from you!

Benefits of the programme:

• •Earn a salary while studying for your apprenticeship
• •Gain hands-on experience within the Bid & Project Management environment
• •Receive job-specific training and development
• •Achieve a recognised qualification
• •Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship
• •Have your tuition fees fully paid

About the Role:

This exciting Project Planning & Controls Apprenticeship will give you the skills and knowledge to be an effective team member within the Bid and Project Management Function at Thales. The apprentice programme will provide you with a strong understanding and working knowledge of planning, scheduling, monitoring and controls, building the foundations for future roles supporting or managing projects that deliver world leading solutions to our global customer base. The Bid and Project Management functions’ key responsibilities are to support the project team deliver the mission and ensure strong governance over bids and projects and oversee the implementation of consistent and assured processes.

Your responsibilities may include:

• •Assisting with the creation and maintenance of the integrated master schedules for assigned projects
• •Contributing to project reports and attend associated reviews
• •Assisting in the deployment & reporting of risk & opportunity management
• •Helping the project team ensure correct and effective project governance is applied
• •Operating Thales UK tools to ensure effective management of the project schedule, budgets, risks and opportunities
• •Committing to attend all elements of the apprenticeship including attendance on virtual training modules, 1-2-1 coaching calls, assignments, exams and mandatory Thales UK training activities to lay the foundations for your contribution to future growth of the business

What You Will Learn:

Throughout your apprenticeship, you will develop knowledge and skills in:

• •Project Planning and Scheduling
• Develop knowledge of how project schedules are created, maintained and monitored, including understanding activities, milestones, dependencies, and schedule performance.
• •Project Reporting and Performance Analysis
• Build skills in gathering, analysing and presenting project information, contributing to regular project reports and supporting reviews.
• •Risk and Opportunity Management
• Develop an understanding of how project risks and opportunities are identified, assessed, recorded, monitored and reported, including mitigation and opportunity actions.
• •Cost and Budget Management
• Build knowledge of project budgets and cost control, including monitoring actual and forecast expenditure and understanding how cost performance interacts with schedule and overall project performance.
• •Project Governance and Controls
• Develop an understanding of project governance processes and the importance of following agreed procedures, controls and reporting cycles to support effective project delivery and decision-making.
• •Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Building
• Develop confidence in engaging with a range of project stakeholders, building effective working relationships, understanding different stakeholder requirements and obtaining the information needed to support effective project controls .

Apprenticeship Programme:

Through the apprenticeship you’ll be making the most of your talents, getting to understand the role of Project Planner and Project Controller from the ground up; and doing so with the help of one of the biggest and best names in the industry.

Throughout your apprenticeship, you’ll receive on-the-job training tailored to work alongside your studies, giving you the hands-on experience needed to develop practical skills and knowledge.

The programme will be delivered via:

• •A virtual delivery model
• •Live virtual workshops
• •1-2-1 coaching calls

This is a 2-year programme, working towards the Level 4 Project Manager Associate Apprenticeship standard, with our training provider, The Apprentice Academy. Upon successful completion of your End Point Assessment, you will roll off into the Thales UK Bid and Project Management job family into a Project Planner or Project Controller role.

Entry Requirements:

A Levels :

2 A Levels grade C or above in any subject or equivalent L3 qualification such as BTEC Diploma (MM), T Level (Merit) or Level 3 apprenticeship.

GCSE's :

• •Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 9-4 (A-C)
• •Must include - English and Maths

Benefits:

Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum

Performance-related pay uplifts

Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)

Contributory Company Pension

Health Care Cash Plan

Hybrid/flexible working options

Employee assistance programme

Learning and development support

Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives

Life Cover

80 Hours Volunteering per year (first two years)

Thales Apprentice Recruitment Process:

1. Apply Online - submit your application online to register your interest. You only need to register for one role as you will have the opportunity to apply for additional roles at the full application stage.

2. Upload Your CV

3. Check your emails for the invitation to apply – this will come from recruiting@jobalerts.thalesgroup.com

4. Complete Your Application – follow the link provided in the email to complete your application. You can apply for one primary role and up to 3 additional roles.

5. Complete Online Tests - undertake the online assessments designed to evaluate your suitability for the role.

6. Virtual Assessment Centre - candidates who progress from the online assessment stage will attend a virtual assessment centre, which will include group exercises, and competency-based interviews.

7. Job Offer – successful candidates who perform well throughout the recruitment process will receive a job offer from Thales.

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 .

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027. Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 17 February 2027 , this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2027 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.

Because of the work we do at Thales, all roles are subject to security requirements.

To be considered for this position, you