Engineering- Defence Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme

What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things? What if the end result was something a little bit special? What if your role was mission critical?

For nearly 70 years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development. We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK’s ultimate deterrent – Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government with counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction solutions.

It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that person was you?

Defence Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme - Engineering

About Us:

We are AWE. We're a team of remarkable people achieving an extraordinary mission: keeping the nation safe and secure.

Our work is critical. We are responsible for delivering the next warhead for the UK's nuclear deterrent, while developing nuclear technologies that keep the nation safe.

AWE’s support for the government’s strategy takes many facets: from supporting the weapon programme for the nuclear deterrent, supporting the UK’s counter terrorist programme, identifying where there may be nuclear tests taking place around the world, and building an expert group of scientists in order to give the UK real depth in nuclear science and technology.

Now, we're offering scholarships through the Defence STEM Undergraduate Scheme (DSUS) to offer an extraordinary new opportunity to join us.

The Defence STEM Undergraduate Scheme

AWE's Defence Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme offers students enrolled in University the chance to improve their financial and work experience prospects by providing a scholarship for up to 3 years of their degree course.

With cost of living pressures increasing in recent years, AWE is proud to be able to offer this exciting opportunity.

The scheme is part of a wider programme run by the Defence Nuclear Enterprise in which scholarships are available within AWE, Royal Navy, Submarine Delivery Agency and the Ministry Of Defence.

The Benefits

Successful candidates will receive the following;

• Your Tuition Fees Paid (up to £9,250 each year)
• A Yearly Bursary to aid your cost of living whilst at University (up to £5,000 each year)*
• A 45-day paid Summer Placement at AWE
• The best chance to receive a job offer for permanent graduate employment at AWE upon successful graduation and completion of the scheme.

*Bursaries are not payable during a designated Year in Industry.

What you’ll be doing:

In your first year of the scheme you will complete an initial placement that requires no prior knowledge of engineering or defence, just a willingness to learn!

Over 9-weeks you will take part in an immersive experience surrounding the what, how and why of deterrence policy and defence posturing. This is a hands on interactive placement with no 2 days the same. Our placements are generally based from our site/s near to Reading, Berkshire.

During the programme there may be opportunities to explore the following:

• The AWE Mission and our part within the UK’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent (CASD)
• Warhead engineering
• Building Design and processes
• Facilities and plant maintenance
• Manufacturing engineering
• The lifecycle of the nuclear warhead
• Nuclear Threat Reduction

Before graduation, you may be offered the opportunity to undertake a further technical placement at AWE Aldermaston.

Person specification

Eligibility

We will consider all applicants studying an engineering discipline that is listed with the Engineering Council (engc.org.uk)

We would however particularly like to hear from students who are studying:

• Electrical & Electronic Engineering
• Manufacturing & Production Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Mechatronics/ Robotics
• Building Services Engineering
• Materials Engineering/ Metallurgy
• Systems Engineering

*Please be aware you must be a UK national with a UK passport to be eligible to apply for roles at AWE and must be able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance required to work for AWE.

How it works

You can apply for this scheme at any stage of your studies as long as you have not yet graduated.

You will be required to undertake a 45-day paid work placement during July/August each summer with AWE.

You will be committed to working with us for three years after graduation.

AWE also offers Year in Industry placements, if you would like to consider spending your Year in Industry with us too, the Early Careers team can discuss this with you. Please note your scholarship fees are not paid during a year in industry, whilst you are receiving a salary.

After graduation

Once you have passed your degree, we may appoint you to a permanent job within AWE either on our Evolve Graduate Programme or as a direct entry graduate depending on the best fit for your experience and present company needs.

• Your contracted hours will be 37 hours per week and you will work a 9 day fortnight.
• You will be paid £22,250 pro rata for your summer placements at AWE
• Our Graduate Scheme Evolve offers a £30,000 a year salary, £2,500 welcome bonus and all the other employee benefits we have available at AWE.

Recruitment Process

Once you submit your application, you’ll be emailed a link to complete our online testing to reach the next stage. This includes personality testing, verbal and logical reasoning. You will be given practice tests online to try out before you complete for real.

If successful, you will be invited to one of our virtual assessment centres, held from 9th – 20th September. We hold pre-assessment centre webinars that provide full guidance about what to expect.