Assembly Technician Apprentice - Level 3 Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician App

2026 assembly technician apprentice - level 3 maintenance operations engineering technician apprenticeship

location: crawley, united kingdom

start date: 07 september 2026

salary: £24,000 per annum

employee type: permanent

working schedule: monday – friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours monday – thursday, 5 hours friday)

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

what you’ll be doing:

through our assembly technician apprenticeship, you’ll be making the most of your talents, getting to understand the manufacturing function; and doing so with the help of one of the biggest and best names in the industry.

the first few weeks will be spent in assembly learning the key skills throughout the shop floor; assembly techniques, wiring and looming, soldering and electrostatic discharge (esd) safety. You will be set up with all the relevant tooling and software needed to work throughout thales.

a rotation plan will start once you have completed your manufacturing key skills training, where you will gain experience & knowledge in different manufacturing departments every 3 months. After the rotation plan you will have travelled around various departments on the shop floor including assembly & integration, test, repairs and fault finding.

over this time, you will have learnt many different skills in mechanical and electrical criteria within accordance with ipc 610 (acceptability of electronic assemblies) / 620 (requirements and acceptance for cable and wire harness assemblies).

you will become a key member of the team, with technical knowledge and practical expertise in the use of both common and specialist tools and equipment, including the use of a variety of measuring, testing, diagnostic aids/equipment and processes to ensure individual components, assemblies and/or integrated systems meet the required specification.

apprentice programme:

as an assembly technician apprentice, you will be working towards a level 3 apprenticeship following the maintenance operations engineering technician standard. For the duration of this 3‑4 year programme, you will be given one day per week in which to complete your studies with crawley college. For the other 4 days, you will be working in the business, applying your learning and gaining a breadth of experience across the industry.

who we’re looking for:

we are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are motivated, committed and keen to learn. A self‑starter who can manage their time, show initiative and has a genuine interest in manufacturing and thales. Successful candidates will show self‑discipline and an aspiration to achieve the 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)

closing date: our applications will close m 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.

due to the nature of the work that we do at thales, all 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…