Location– Swanwick, Hampshire, England
Start date- September 2026
Salary- This 3-year apprenticeship starts from £23,000 with annual progression through the scheme duration. Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, upwards of £39,690.
Job Purpose:
NATS’ Engineering Apprenticeship will result in you becoming an operational engineer at NATS, an engineer that supports the systems and equipment used by Air Traffic Control to keep the skies safe. This involves focusing on learning about the design, installation, maintenance and repair of these systems and equipment based at sites across the UK. Your work will help ensure these operational systems function 24/7, enabling controllers to safely manage all Air Traffic in UK airspace.
Our engineering infrastructure spans our Air Traffic Control (ATC) Centres in Swanwick and Prestwick, airports across the country, and a range of remote sites. As an ATC Engineer, you will use your understanding of the operational environment to support design teams, and you will learn how to safely control and monitor live equipment with team support to identify and resolve issues quickly. You will also carry out preventative maintenance, assist with the installation of new equipment, and undertake tasks such as system reconfiguration and equipment switching to ensure the continuity and reliability of the services we provide.
What does this apprenticeship involve:
This three‑year Engineering Apprenticeship scheme offers a clear and supportive pathway into a rewarding career in the aviation industry. Designed for people with limited work experience or those looking to start a new direction, the programme helps you develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to grow into an operational Engineer at NATS.
Alongside your formal education, you’ll follow an internal learning and development focused pathway that builds your understanding of ATC‑specific engineering while also developing your interpersonal and professional skills. You’ll have opportunities to apply your learning on the job, supported from day one by experienced NATS engineers who will guide and mentor you throughout your apprenticeship.
During your first year, you’ll take part in a comprehensive induction, rotate through four engineering disciplines and gain broad exposure to NATS systems and operations. You’ll also join a range of development activities—such as personal development weeks, site visits and technical forums—that helps confidence building alongside technical skills and deepen your understanding of our engineering environment and the wider organisation.
After year one, you’ll be assigned to an engineering unit based on business needs and your strengths and interests. You’ll spend years two and three focusing on a specific area of operational engineering at either the Swanwick ATC Centre or our Head Office in Whiteley. Here, you’ll begin developing the technical competencies required to progress toward becoming an Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEP) Engineer, gaining hands‑on experience with critical ATC systems and building your operational awareness.
Throughout the programme, you’ll study for an HNC in Electrical Engineering through online day release and complete the Level 4 Lead Engineering Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship via work‑based assessments.
If you’re excited about this opportunity but don’t meet every requirement listed, we still encourage you to apply.
By the end of the programme, you’ll have the qualifications, experience and confidence to take the next steps toward full ATSEP status and a long‑term engineering career at NATS.
Find out more about the different types of operational engineering disciplines within NATS which you could be assigned:
- Control and Monitoring Centre Engineers in Swanwick and Whiteley support equipment for ATC, respond to technical issues and carry out maintenance. They work closely with specialist colleagues to ensure safe, reliable service.
- Day Teams Engineers specialise in specific ATC services such as surveillance, networks, data and voice communications. Their work includes resolving complex issues, providing maintenance support and contributing to the design, testing and installation of new systems.
- Central Maintenance Services (CMS) Engineers based in a workshop at our Whiteley centre, repair equipment from radars, communications, navigation aids and IT systems used across the UK and internationally.
- Outstation Engineers maintain radars, communication equipment and navigation aids throughout the UK. Working closely together in a supportive, collaborative enviroment as a tight knit team, they help ensure essential equipment remains reliable to support NATS’ 24/7 service.
What Qualifications will you get?
- Level 4 Lead Engineering Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship
- Higher National Certificate in Electrical Engineering
Benefits:
We are proud to offer a fantastic total reward package to help you thrive both personally and professionally. In addition to a competitive salary, that is regularly reviewed, you will also benefit from a wide range of other benefits which include a generous leave entitlement, a market-leading defined contribution pension scheme and lots more. For more information on the benefits we offer, please visit https://www.nats.aero/careers/why-nats/
Why NATS?
NATS (National Air Traffic Services) is the UK’s leading air navigation service provider, handling over 2 million flights each year. We have around 4,500 employees working at NATS. That includes 1,700 Air Traffic Controllers, 650 Air Traffic Service Assistants, 1,000 engineers, and 1,000 other specialists. NATS provides ATC services from two control centres at Prestwick and Swanwick as well as from various airports around the UK. In addition, we offer a wide range of commercial solutions to over 30 countries internationally. Our people are at the heart of our purpose to advance aviation and keep the skies safe.
Essential Requirements:
- You must be 18 years old at the start of the scheme
- Live in England
- Must have the right to work in the UK, without requiring sponsorship. If you are unsure, check the Home Office guidance
- Pass an Ishihara colour vision test
- Hold a Full UK clean driving license (as you may be required to travel across the UK for your role)
- 5 GCSEs at Grade 4 or equivalent
- Flexibility – opportunity to explore different engineering areas as you will not know from the outset what engineering team you will join
- Have a genuine interest in engineering
Desirable skills:
- Having an engineering qualification and/or A-Levels in Maths or Physics
Additional vacancy information:
Applicants may hold any prior HNC qualification, with the exception of HNC Electrical Engineering.
Please note that this position is categorised as mobile grade and as such there will be some travel required.
Please note that NATS reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. If you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion:
We celebrate the diversity of our colleagues. We thrive because we are all brilliantly different yet united in our passion to advance aviation and keep the skies safe. For more information on our commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit: https://www.nats.aero/careers/why-nats/
If you share our passion to advance aviation and keep the skies safe – we would like to hear from you whatever your age, sex, race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, visible or invisible disability. Individuals that bring different perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds help us be at the forefront of our industry.
We want you to be able to perform at your best, so please email earlycareers@nats.co.uk if you require any reasonable adjustments.
