Case studies

BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defence aerospace systems in the air, on land and sea. The company employs more than 90,000 people and generates sales of over £12 billion.

Due to the nature of this industry, the support required by BAE staff is extensive, from product introduction to service. Expert design and manufacturing know-how also need to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To this end, BAE Systems typically recruits around 280 apprentices a year to meet its commitment to customers, and on a larger scale, meet the supply and demand for talent within the UK economy.

The Advanced Apprenticeship programme, a critical element of BAE Systems’ Young People Strategy, attracts new people to the industry and enables young people without any engineering or business experience to develop their skills. It also allows BAE Systems to tackle the national shortage of qualified engineering staff.

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John Lee Male, head of Learning and Development at BAE Systems, said: “The low attrition rate of the programme ensures that BAE Systems’ maintains and enhances its staff capability with enthusiastic and capable young people who often fill senior positions as their careers develop.”

Apprentices provide BAE Systems with a higher net return on investment than externally recruited employees and due to shorter training periods after qualification provide a good resource pool for further enhancement of skills. Apprentices who start their working life with the company have a higher buy-in to the overall aims and objectives of the company and have high retention rates as a result (87%). Attracting, training and retaining high quality apprentices helps BAE Systems keep its competitive edge.

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John agrees: “Our apprentices are self motivated, ready to take the initiative and go into problem solving mode, therefore reducing production time for the work they do by up to 25%.”

BAE Systems’ approach to both Advanced Apprenticeships and Young People development make them an exemplary employer and recently earned them a LAI Grade 2 Award in 2004/5. This success is reiterated by the apprentices at BAE who, in a recent online questionnaire, gave excellent feedback on the programme with 73% enjoying their training and 95% willing to recommend an engineering Apprenticeship to others.

Joanne Mercer, a 4^th year apprentice at BAE, agrees: “The BAE Systems Apprenticeship has entitled me to learn new skills, develop old skills and has brought me into the working life. I now carry knowledge and experience from all ends of the aerospace industry that will remain with me throughout my career.”

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