In 2024, we invested £230m in education and training, as we work to develop and maintain the specialist, sovereign skills needed to deliver UK defence and security programmes. Since 2020 we have invested £1bn in skills and education - including in our state-of-the art skills academies.
We offer a comprehensive programme of lifelong learning to ensure a strong pipeline of specialised design, engineering, manufacturing and cyber skills that the UK needs to develop combat aircraft, warships, submarines, munitions and integrated security systems. Focused on developing our people as well as future talent in the communities where we operate, this includes:
- education outreach projects to inspire school pupils to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects;
- apprenticeships, industrial placements and graduate training;
- continuous professional development opportunities, coaching and mentoring for all levels, career stages and career pathways; and
- a focus on specialist digital skills and data fluency incorporating retraining and upskilling.
Skills for tomorrow
We’re investing today in the skills we need to deliver tomorrow’s defence and security technologies. In the last decade, we’ve opened three new skills academies at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, Samlesbury in Lancashire and Glasgow, Scotland. Our digital academy offers virtual and in-person training and in 2025 helped more than 8,000 employees develop their digital skills.
Supporting social mobility
We support social mobility by creating employment opportunities for young people facing socio-economic barriers to work. In 2025, almost a third of the apprentices who joined us came from the most deprived local authority districts in the UK.
Since 2014, our Company has been committed to supporting the Movement to Work programme, offering over 1,000 work placements to young people facing barriers to employment or education. In 2026, we are increasing the number of placements we offer to 135. The programme has proven highly successful, with over 60% of participants advancing to full-time roles, further education, or training. A significant number, more than a third, have secured permanent positions at BAE Systems, primarily through apprenticeships.
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