Digital Technology Degree Apprenticeship Scheme - MoD - AO
Government Digital & Data -
Quick Overview
- Based at Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH, office attendance is required.
- Four year degree apprenticeship scheme.
- Specialising in Cyber Security or Software Engineering.
- Working towards a BSc in Digital Technology Solutions.
- Start date: September 2025.
Application requirements
- Entry Requirements: Five full GCSEs at grades 4-9 (or equivalent) to include English Language, Maths, and a Science. Plus, relevant Level 3 qualifications.
- Please follow our Apprentice CV format guidance here.
- This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance.
- Please read all information in this advert thoroughly before applying and save it for future reference.
At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we're here to provide for the Armed Forces, as they serve our country all over the world. We support those on the front line by providing cutting-edge equipment and technology for land, sea, air, and space. We deliver the kit the UK military needs to maintain advantage and stay protected, as they protect life at home and overseas.
You want to be an expert in your field one day. We want to help make it happen. Whichever area you join us in, you’ll discover new talents, pinpoint new ambitions, find a home among a diverse team – and be empowered to turn your gifts into an incredible career. Ready for real investment in your future? We’re developing tomorrow’s talent today.
Job description
What sets DE&S apart is the focus we put on you. We help you find your flair and then plan a flourishing career around what you love. And along the way, you’ll enjoy real rewards for the work you do, with competitive benefits and career progression.
Starting September 2025, you’ll undertake a comprehensive framework of practical and academic training. All apprentices will attend their academic provider on a day release basis. Our current academic provider is University Centre Weston.
You'll be on a core programme for the first part of the apprenticeship before following a more specialised course either in Software Engineering or Cyber Security.
Software Engineering
The primary role of the Software Engineer is to ensure that what’s been designed, coded, and delivered by our manufacturing partners performs as intended. To do that our Software Engineers need to be able to design, build and test high-quality software solutions. This software may be for a complex weapon, a communications system, a ship, armoured vehicle, a helicopter, or anything else in the huge range of equipment we supply to the UK armed forces.
As a Software Engineer you’ll need to apply engineering principles to all stages of the software development process, from requirements, analysis and design, development and data requirements while ensuring our systems are secure.
Cyber Security
As a Cyber Security Specialist you’ll be involved in the implementation, maintenance and support of the security controls that protect our systems and data assets. The cyber teams’ responsibilities ensure the equipment we purchase, and support, for the UK Forces, weapons, vehicles, ships, aircraft and communications systems. is secure and properly protected.
Cyber specialists ensure that security technologies and practices are operating in accordance with the organisation’s policies and standards to provide continued protection. They require a broad understanding of network infrastructure, software, and data to identify where threats and vulnerabilities can occur.
For more information about the apprenticeship standard please have a look at the following link:
Responsibilities
You’ll participate in structured training, including studying part time to achieve a BSc in Digital Technology Solutions. You’ll gather experience and knowledge through several work-based placements at Defence Equipment & Support in Bristol, as well as at our customers’ and suppliers’ sites around the UK. This will help you learn and gain the relevant experience in preparation for roles within the MoD’s current and future programmes.
You’ll be involved with the following:
•Participating in assigned educational training to develop your own capabilities in a defence context.
•Delivering products and services against agreed objectives, developing your knowledge and experience while adding value to your team and wider organisation.
•Building awareness and understanding of how the engineering and technology areas operate to assist in your development and career progression.
•Identifying opportunities to develop your knowledge and experience to progress from an apprenticeship to qualified Engineering Technician.
•Providing support to your colleagues in their specialist areas and actively contribute to team meetings to help with the work of the team.
•Building and maintaining a network of internal business contacts and peers to gain knowledge and identifying opportunities to learn and develop.
On successful completion of your four year programme, you may be offered a permanent position with DE&S, that reflects the interests and skills you’ve developed throughout the programme.
Please note: Because of the classification of some of the information related to certain projects, some work-based placements may be open to Sole UK Nationals only.
Your place of work will be MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH. You’ll be required to attend the office regularly, at the request of your Scheme Manager or Placement Supervisor. This attendance will be at your own expense and costs for travel or accommodation will not be reimbursed.
Person specification
It takes lots of different people and lots of different skill sets to keep the UK Armed Forces fully equipped and well supported.
To be successful with your application, we’re looking for you to demonstrate your potential to succeed in a dynamic working environment. We’re here to help you find your speciality, so we hire for potential and train for skills.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are dedicated to creating a great place to work that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. By bringing together different ideas, experiences, and perspectives, we can achieve our ambitions, together.
We’re proud to be a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, committed to attracting, recruiting, and retaining people with disabilities. We’re dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible and we’ll make reasonable adjustments to support applicants with disabilities.
If you need an adjustment during the recruitment and selection process, even if you feel you don’t qualify for the Disability Confident Scheme, please tell us what you need when completing your application. Please let us know as soon as possible so our recruitment team have adequate time to consider your request. If you have any questions about reasonable adjustments, you can contact the recruitment team at deshr-etcoe-recruitment@mod.gov.uk
You must hold the right to work full time in the UK and qualify for service under the Civil Service Nationality Rules without any additional immigration approvals. DE&S do not sponsor Visas. You must be able to evidence your right to work full time at interview and it must not expire before the start of the scheme. If your right to work will expire while you are in employment, you must be able to reconfirm your right to work before it expires, without sponsorship, to maintain your employment.
This role requires you to have lived (resided) in the UK for the last five years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating staff on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harms associated with second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Tobacco-Free Working Environment (TFWE) programme, smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere, unless stated otherwise, in the Defence working environment by 31st December 2022. Those seeking, considering, or accepting employment should be aware of this requirement.
Qualifications
You must have or be currently studying to achieve the following qualifications by September 2025:
Essential requirements:
Five full GCSEs at grades 4-9 (or equivalent) to include English Language, Maths and a Science.
and three full A Levels at a minimum of grade C to include Maths, Science, plus one other (excluding general studies).
or, a BTEC Extended Diploma in Computer Science or Computing at triple merit level. Minimum of 96 UCAS Points,
or, a T-Level in Digital Production Design and Development, Digital Business Services or Digital Support Services all at Merit level
or, a minimum of 96 UCAS points in relevant Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects.
CV Requirements
Please follow the CV guidance here to enable us to better understand you as a person and assess your suitability for our scheme. We’ll be looking for your aspiration, engagement and ability. If you are successful at CV sift, then you’ll be considered for the next stage of our selection process.
Personal statement – Ensuring within one document upload, please write a personal statement at the top of your CV, within the range of 200 to 500 words, answering the following questions:
- Why do you want to join this apprenticeship scheme?
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this scheme?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences helpful?
Please clearly list your qualifications including your results or predicted grades, distinguishing between an English Language or English Literature qualification awarded. If grades are missing, we will be unable to qualify you against our entry requirements.
If you hold or have studied towards a qualification at the same level or above in the same or a similar subject, please declare this within your CV so we can assess your eligibility.
You’re permitted to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) tools during your application to DE&S to support you in writing your CV and personal statements however, all information that is submitted must be factually accurate. For example, not using ideas and experiences of others (or AI) as your own. All presented information will be assessed at both the assessment centre and interview stage.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £25,760, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,462 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Alongside training and development, you’ll receive the following great benefits:
- £25,760 starting salary – with annual increments.
- 25 days holiday a year, plus one day a year up to 30 days, eight bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday.
- A market-leading employer pension contribution of circa 28.97 percent, and recognition awards.
- Flexible and hybrid working wherever possible, to support your work-life balance (though some attendance to the stated site is required)
- Use of our on-site gym, restaurant, and cafes.
- A huge range of discounts including retail, sports, leisure, restaurants, gifts, days out, holidays, cinema, motoring, insurance, health care, gym memberships, and more.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
How to apply
Application – 4th November 2024 to 2nd December 2024
Please complete an online application form and attach your CV which includes a personal statement within one document. Please follow the guidance on how to create a CV for this vacancy and ensure all information is captured within your CV and not on the application form. The experience fields on the application form are not assessed, so please ensure your CV is complete.
Should you encounter any technical difficulties submitting your application please take screenshots and email us DESHR-ETCoE-Recruitment@mod.gov.uk. Without screenshots of the issue, we may be unable to progress your application.
Pre-Sift /Sift – December 2024 to January 2025
We’ll check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria listed in this advert. Your CV will be assessed using a simple numerical scoring system against your aspiration, engagement and ability. For guidance on writing a CV for DE&S Entry Talent, please click here.
Online Testing – January 2025
Candidates will be called for online numeracy, literacy, and engineering competency tests via our Training Provider.
Assessment Centre – February 2025
The highest scoring candidates will be invited to a face-to-face assessment centre We’ll assess you through team exercises, aligned to our behaviours above. There will be no reimbursement of any travel expenses for the assessment centre.
Interview – March 2025
If successful, you’ll sit an online Microsoft Teams interview. You’ll be assessed against a technical competence and our DE&S Behaviours listed above.
Provisional Offer – April 2025
Once all interviews have taken place, we’ll make provisional offers to the successful candidates and begin your pre-employment checks. Please be aware these checks can take several months to complete, however, we will remain in contact throughout the process.
Formal Offer
Following successful completion of all pre-employment checks you can expect to receive a formal offer and contract one month before the scheme expected start date.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
