On the way up - Leonardo early career applications on the rise

20 August 2020

The next generation of engineers and business professionals starting their careers at Leonardo this autumn have joined in the face of unprecedented competition as company saw a 39% increase in applications for its UK graduate and industrial placement roles and a 100% increase for its apprenticeship programmes in the UK.

Leonardo already has a healthy early careers population, with graduates currently representing 5.91% of their engineering workforce, exceeding the target of the Five Percent Club of which the company is a member.

The majority of the young people already on their first and second years of their Leonardo apprenticeships and graduate apprenticeships have gone on to pass their courses with distinction with some on our early career schemes receiving national recognition for their work from organisations such as the Engineering Development Trust, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and BrightSparks.

Reflecting on the reasons behind the rise in applications, Deborah Soley, Head of Apprentice Management UK believes that the business responsibilities handed to the young people joining the Leonardo schemes in addition to the support they receive to excel in their studies, are just a couple of the reasons for these successes and the attractiveness of the schemes offered by the company.

“As soon as they join, our apprentices are being given the opportunity to shape the business and make a real contribution. That has especially been the case during the current pandemic, where they have shown incredible resilience and commitment to supporting our customers, even as the business quickly and dramatically changed day-to-day working practices in response to the virus.”

“The exam results this year have been fantastic. In normal circumstances I would be delighted with them, but when you consider that they all had to miss 5 weeks of lectures due to Covid-19, you can understand how exceptional their performances really are.”

Leonardo employs more than 7,000 people at its sites across the UK and has seen an increase in its national engineering population of 4.83 per cent.

In addition to its early career opportunities, Leonardo is also seeking to grow its population of experienced engineers to work on long-term programmes such as Eurofighter Typhoon and the next generation future combat air system, with vacancies offering flexible working available in all engineering disciplines across the country.

Discover more about all our latest career opportunities including information on our 2021 early career opportunities.