BAE Systems

East Riding College is working with BAE SYSTEMS, a world-leading defence, security and aerospace multinational, to develop the company’s Aerospace Software Development Engineers.
BAE SYSTEMS is dedicated to developing new talent through its Higher Apprentice Programme.

The software apprentices are recruited in three centres of excellence, based in Brough, Warton and Yeovil. The Brough centre has an academic partnership with East Riding College and the University of Hull.
Software development is crucial to the company’s current and future products and the apprentices will develop software skills and knowledge working on anything from the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, the aircraft used by the RAF to its pilots, to the state of the art Eurofighter Typhoon.

Jon Milner, Senior Software Engineer said: “The partnership with East Riding College has for many years now enabled us to develop Higher Apprentices into the skilled engineers that are essential to our business.  The foundation degree provides a good underpinning for our apprentices to go on to complete their Honours degrees, usually gaining good 2:1 or first class honours.  The educational foundation is also helping the apprentices to develop into fully qualified and highly valued members of the team here at Brough.  It’s testament to the College’s teaching programmes and the students’ aptitude that East Riding College students recently landed two of the places available, the competition was tough.”

In 2018 East Riding College students Vikki Scruton, 18 and Lincoln O’Connell, 19, gained coveted higher apprenticeship jobs at BAE Systems, a world-leading defence, security and aerospace multinational.

The students progressed from the Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT (equivalent to three A-Levels) the College’s Beverley campus.  They were selected for the company’s apprenticeship programme following a rigorous recruitment process which sees only the best students nationally selected for the prized places.

Lincoln, who previously attended Beverley Grammar School said: “I’m delighted to have got the job at BAE Systems.  It’s fantastic and I don’t think I would have been successful had I not specialised in computing early on.  I’ve spent the last two years on the BTEC learning the foundations of everything I need to progress.”

Vikki who previously attended Beverley High School added, “I’m very proud of both of us.  I think we did so well to get through.  It was a tough selection process.  I’m really looking forward to starting my new role in September.”