Manufacturing Test Engineering Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

Manufacturing Test Engineering Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship 2026

Salary
: £18,750 plus a £3000 joining bonus.

Work Location: MBDA Bolton

Learning Provider

Location:

University of Greater Manchester

Security clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship.

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ROLE IS MIDNIGHT ON 23rd JANUARY 2026 (SUBJECT TO APPLICATION VOLUMES)

• Fully funded qualification starting September 2026
• Paid travel expenses to and from your place of study
• Annual pay reviews
• 25 days annual leave (plus holiday purchase) and up to 15 days flexi leave
• Study leave during exam periods

Manufacturing Test Engineering is part of the Operations Directorate in MBDA. We have engineers deployed across three of our UK sites supporting the manufacturing, testing and programming of the whole build cycle, from circuit cards through to missiles and the platforms they're integrated onto. To do this, we work with varied technologies including electronics, mechatronics, optics and RF.

As you progress through your Degree Apprenticeship you will be working within Manufacturing Test Engineering, covering different stages of the manufacturing process through placements. In each placement you'll find yourself among a team of encouraging engineers who have varied experiences and expertise, working together to support a set of equipment. Test Engineers work closely with several collaborative functions such as Product Design, Test Equipment Design, Manufacturing Engineering and Quality Assurance to support our key customer, Manufacturing Operations.

Daily activities for a Test Engineer vary from hands on experience with the product on the shop floor and in the lab, to working in the office on technical documentation and drawings. Examples of regular activities include:

Diagnosing and fault finding on non-conforming products or equipment

Authoring instructions and/or specifications

Drafting and publishing drawing packs

Analysing test and production related data

Introducing new innovative products and equipment into Manufacturing

Process improvements

Collaborative work with other areas of the business

Every employee across our vast range of teams and skillsets brings something unique to the business, so we make sure to provide an environment that allows everyone to be themselves, work in ways that suit them in line with their role, and be rewarded for their efforts!

For the 4.5 years whilst you are an Apprentice, you'll study 1 day a week towards a BEng (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at University of Greater Manchester, which will be fully funded by MBDA. You'll do rotational placements for the remainder of the week, allowing you to earn an academic and nationally recognised qualification, whilst gaining on the job learning experience within a professional and friendly workplace.

In the first three years, you'll spend three months external to Test in another area of MBDA, and nine months within Test, split into three months with Operations and six months with Engineering. In the time spent within Test you will rotate through different teams and you may have the opportunity to work within the following areas:

• Circuit Card Assembly
• Actuators and Control Equipment
• Seekers and Datalinks
• Inert Missile
• Platform Equipment and Cables

The final year will be spent developing in a single placement. This will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the specific area including the ongoing projects and complex challenges within it.

Find more details about the course here:

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to join an apprenticeship scheme that has developed winners of some of the most prestigious apprenticeship awards in the UK!

This role has specific qualification and subject criteria so please make sure you carefully check your eligibility against this…