Network Engineer Apprenticeship

Summary

If you’re passionate about technology and intrigued by how digital devices connect, our 3-year Network Engineer Apprenticeship offers the perfect foundation for your career. You’ll earn while you learn, with salary increases each year as you progress towards achieving the Level 4 Network Engineer Apprenticeship standard.

Annual wage

£23,776 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Year 1: £23,776 Year 2: £25,362 Year 3: £27,000

Training course

Network engineer (level 4)

Hours

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

35 hours a week

Possible start date

Monday 1 September

Duration

3 years

Positions available

2

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

As an apprentice, you'll be part of Babcock's Skynet Service Delivery Wrap (SDW) program, which plays a crucial role in providing essential communication capabilities to the UK and NATO armed forces. The Skynet system ensures that service personnel can stay connected anytime, anywhere, in any environment on Earth. By joining this program, you won’t just acquire specialised network engineering skills - you’ll also contribute to projects that are critical to the security of the UK.

You will work four days a week at our Bordon location, where our teams help to maintain and modernise the UK’s sovereign space communications. One day each week will be spent training at Basingstoke ITEC.

Throughout your apprenticeship, you will have the chance to rotate through different Skynet SDW Infrastructure teams, gaining valuable insights into their operations and taking on increasingly complex tasks as your experience and skills grow.

Typical tasks include:

Troubleshooting and resolving network issues.
Providing technical support to customers and key stakeholders, addressing queries and delivering effective solutions.
Interpreting technical information and aligning it with organisational requirements and expectations.
Learning and applying safe working practices in diverse environments, including working at height and in confined spaces.

Where you’ll work

Bordon, Hampshire

GU35 0JE

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

BASINGSTOKE ITEC LIMITED

Your training course

Network engineer (level 4)

Equal to higher national certificate (HNC)

Course contents

apply the appropriate tools and techniques when securely operating and testing networks
install and configure the elements required to maintain and manage a secure network
implement techniques to monitor and record systems performance in line with defined specifications
maintain security and performance of the system against known and standard threats
apply the appropriate tools and techniques to identify systems performance issues
apply the appropriate tools and techniques to gather information to troubleshoot issues and isolate, repair or escalate faults
communicate outcomes of tasks and record in line with organisational procedures and SLAs including adherence to customer service standards
upgrade, apply and test components to systems configurations ensuring that the system meets the organisation’s requirements and minimises downtime. This should include backup processes
record task details whether face-to-face, remote or in writing in line with ogranisational requirements
interpret information received from a manager, customer or technical specialist and accurately implement the defined requirements
monitor, identify and implement required maintenance procedures
implement techniques to optimise systems performance in line with defined specifications
organise and prioritise clients or stakeholders’ requests in line with SLAs and organization processes
explain their job role within the business context to stakeholders to enable a clear understanding on both sides of what their remit is and convey technical constraints in appropriate language considering accessibility and diversity implications
operate securely and apply the appropriate process, policies and legislation within their business responsibilities
communicate with a range of stakeholders taking into consideration the organisations cultural awareness and technical ability
apply the appropriate level of responsibility when planning and prioritising work tasks
apply the relevant numerical skills (Binary, dotted decimal notation) required to meet the defined specifications
ensure compliance of network engineering outputs with change management processes
select the appropriate tools and comply with organisation policies and processes when upgrading systems
apply the appropriate tools and techniques when securely operating and testing networks
install and configure the elements required to maintain and manage a secure network
implement techniques to monitor and record systems performance in line with defined specifications
maintain security and performance of the system against known and standard threats
apply the appropriate tools and techniques to identify systems performance issues
apply the appropriate tools and techniques to gather information to troubleshoot issues and isolate, repair or escalate faults
communicate outcomes of tasks and record in line with organisational procedures and SLAs including adherence to customer service standards
upgrade, apply and test components to systems configurations ensuring that the system meets the organisation’s requirements and minimises downtime. This should include backup processes
record task details whether face-to-face, remote or in writing in line with ogranisational requirements
interpret information received from a manager, customer or technical specialist and accurately implement the defined requirements
monitor, identify and implement required maintenance procedures
implement techniques to optimise systems performance in line with defined specifications
organise and prioritise clients or stakeholders’ requests in line with SLAs and organization processes
explain their job role within the business context to stakeholders to enable a clear understanding on both sides of what their remit is and convey technical constraints in appropriate language considering accessibility and diversity implications
operate securely and apply the appropriate process, policies and legislation within their business responsibilities
communicate with a range of stakeholders taking into consideration the organisations cultural awareness and technical ability
apply the appropriate level of responsibility when planning and prioritising work tasks
apply the relevant numerical skills (Binary, dotted decimal notation) required to meet the defined specifications
ensure compliance of network engineering outputs with change management processes
select the appropriate tools and comply with organisation policies and processes when upgrading systems

Your training plan

During your apprenticeship, you will study and learn in the role of a Network Engineer.

The course includes a wide range of specialist modules designed to provide you with a strong theoretical foundation for your future career.

You will also develop practical skills, including:

Installing, configuring, and testing network components or devices (both physical and virtual).
Collecting and analysing data to monitor network performance.
Improving and maintaining network systems or services to meet set standards.
Identifying and fixing network issues to restore operations, escalating issues if needed.
Upgrading physical and virtual network systems.
Interpreting written requirements and technical documents to deliver network systems and services effectively.
Keeping accurate records in line with organisational policies.

Your apprenticeship will culminate in an End Point Assessment (EPA), where an independent assessor will evaluate your performance against the Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours (KSBs) defined in the occupational standard. This final assessment allows you to demonstrate the expertise you have gained during the programme.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade 4(C) and above)
Mathematics (grade 4(C) and above)
Science (grade 4(C) and above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Logical
Team working

Other requirements

Many of our early careers roles are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold may impact which roles you are eligible for. You must be able to achieve BPSS (Baseline security) and many of them require you to be eligible for Security Clearance.

About this company

Babcock is an international defence, aerospace and security company operating in our focus countries of the UK, Australasia, Canada, France and South Africa, with exports to additional markets with potential to become focus countries. We meet our customers’ key requirements of affordability, availability, and capability by delivering engineering, support and critical systems to defence and civil markets.

https://earlycareers.babcockinternational.com/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Fully funded qualification, personal development, training and opportunities, minimum 28 days holiday allowance including bank holidays, competitive pension scheme, employee share scheme, flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme.

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

The space industry is on a remarkable growth trajectory, with its global value projected to triple by 2035. As part of this booming sector, the skills and experience you’ll develop in network cabling will remain in high demand for years to come.

Completing the apprenticeship programme is just the start of an exciting career journey with us. We are dedicated to your continued professional growth, offering ongoing development opportunities at our Bordon site. After completing the programme, you can anticipate earning a competitive salary of over £30,000, depending on your role.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

BASINGSTOKE ITEC LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000295184.

Apply now

Closes on Thursday 20 March

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

Once you’ve clicked ‘Apply’, you’ll be taken to our application site. Set up a candidate profile and you can apply for roles at Babcock.

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