The ApprenticeRoute

Aerospace engineer

Degree apprenticeship (integrated degree) · Engineering and manufacturing route · Standard ST0010 v1.1

Level
6
Typical duration
48 months (about 4 years)
Max funding band
£27,000
End-point assessment
9 months
Route
Engineering and manufacturing
Regulated by
Civil Aviation Authority

Creating aircraft components and equipment, specialising in a specific engineering discipline (for example - airframe, design and stress, systems integration, support engineering or manufacturing engineering).

About the role

This occupation is found in the civil and military aerospace sector. The occupation can be found in large, medium and small employers across the world. Aerospace engineers may work on specific aerospace products and associated integrated aerospace environments and infrastructure. Examples include aerospace manufacturers, aerospace support services, airports, aircraft carriers and air traffic control.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to design and develop aircraft, aeronautical components and associated systems including operational support. They support customers by aiming to improve flight safety, aircraft efficiency and reduce costs. They review aerospace products and develop design and manufacturing processes or systems. They use project management and continuous improvement techniques. They also address the environmental impact of flight by adopting latest technologies. They are typically office-based. They may be required to work in production facilities and test facilities. They may also work in hangars or outdoors on the aircraft or ground equipment. They may be required to support customers in the UK and worldwide. Depending on the product, they may be required to work in confined spaces and at height. Depending on the nature of the work, they may be required to work shift patterns.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues across the organisation. For example manufacturing, project management, finance, human resources and procurement. They may also interact with customers, other specialist engineers, technicians, partners and suppliers. They will also work with different levels of engineers across multiple engineering disciplines. Depending on the organisation, they typically report to Senior Engineers, Senior Specialists or Chief Engineers. 

An employee in this occupation is responsible for working ethically and professionally. Aerospace engineers work to Civil and Military Aviation regulatory requirements. They must meet statutory and company regulations, taking responsibility for health and safety. They also take responsibility for environmental and sustainablity regulations, cost, quality, accuracy and efficiency. They must proactively find solutions to problems and identify areas for business improvement. Aerospace engineers work individually and as part of a team. Depending on the size and structure of the organisation they may manage technicians or teams of engineers.

How it compares

At 48 months (about 4 years), it is longer than average for a degree-level apprenticeship (the average across all 172 Level 6+ standards is 39 months).

The funding band — the maximum an employer's levy can contribute to training costs — is £27,000, at or above the £21,500 average for degree-level standards. Apprentices never pay tuition either way.

Typical job titles

Entry requirements

Whilst any entry requirements will be a matter for individual employers, typically an apprentice might be expected to have already achieved academic qualifications of 96* UCAS points or above at A-Level standard or equivalent, to include two STEM based subject such as Maths, Physics, ICT, Computing, Electronics. Plus Five GCSEs at Grade 4 and above** including Mathematics, English and Double Science or equivalent qualification.  (*Equal to 240 UCAS points. Prior to 2017,**equal to Grades C and above).

Entry requirements are ultimately set by each employer — treat these as the baseline, not the bar.

What you come out with

What you'll learn

The official standard defines 11 core duties, 32 knowledge areas, 17 skills, 6 behaviours. This is the actual assessed content of the apprenticeship — worth reading before an interview, because competency questions are usually written straight from these lists.

Core duties 11
Knowledge 32
Skills 17
Behaviours 6

Live vacancies

No live vacancies for this course as of 2026-07-24 — new adverts appear on Find an apprenticeship daily, and many degree apprenticeship employers recruit on their own careers sites instead.

Universities registered to deliver it

2 universities are on the government provider register for this standard. Registration means they can deliver it — live vacancies depend on employer partnerships each recruitment cycle.

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Official sources

Occupational summary, duties, knowledge, skills and behaviours reproduced from the ST0010 apprenticeship standard (last updated 2023-11-09) — contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Always check the official page before applying: standards get revised.