Apprentice - Aspiring Leader

To begin your application for the Aspiring Leader Apprenticeship, please click HERE which will take you to the first stage.

Duration: Three Years

Salary: Salary will be from £16,000, depending on the scheme, it will be specified during the assessment centre

Location: London Heathrow

Application Closing Date: 19 November 2025

Start Date: Autumn 2026

The programme: You’ll need to be ready for anything. We’ll give you real responsibility from your first day. This apprenticeship will see you taking on several rotational placements, giving an in-depth insight into our colleague and customer experience and commercial, operations and strategy roles. You will gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours to become the type of leader we need, in our journey to A Better BA. On placement, you'll lead projects, be a key player in developing and implementing new ideas and even have the opportunity to mentor colleagues, giving you people management experience. In addition to all these amazing experiences, you’ll also complete a placement at Heathrow Airport in our customer experience team - enabling you to gain a real‑life insight on the frontline with our customers, and use this learning to influence the projects you’ll be working on. Across this three year apprenticeship, you will study Level 6 degree in Chartered Management.

About You: A passion for learning is key, be great at collaborating but also able to take the lead. We’re looking for strong communicators and courageous individuals who want to make a difference and who will make the most of any opportunity. Strong self‑motivation as well as the ability to adapt to change is needed. GCSEs at grade 9‑4 (A*–C) are desirable but not crucial, and you’ll need to hold or be predicted to hold 2 A Level passes or Level 3 equivalent.

What’s in it for you? Looking to join our apprenticeship scheme? You won’t be disappointed. Recently being ranked in the Rate My Apprenticeship Top 100, we can’t wait to welcome you into the British Airways family. We have many benefits for apprentices at British Airways, here are a handful to showcase the diversity of our apprentice community:

• Increase in salary after you have completed the first year of your apprenticeship, if completed in line with your development objectives
• Part of our apprentice network and community, with the opportunity to engage with apprentices from all schemes in the business and learn from former apprentices
• Involvement in our bold sustainability vision, volunteering an active role to champion specific community groups including LGBTQ+ “Flying Proud” and ethnic minority network “BeMe”
• Involvement in Community Investment programmes, taking part in fundraising challenges for partnership charities, supporting causes close to your heart
• Volunteering in schools and colleges sharing personal experiences to inspire, empower and mentor students and support their potential to gain employment in the industry we love
• Access to heavily discounted flights to globetrotting, and a generous annual leave entitlement to turn your bucket list into reality

Further Information & Next Steps: We are delighted you are considering applying! Here’s some more information you may need about the application process:

• All sections of your application need to be complete, including all online tests, by the deadline given
• Due to high volumes of applications, you may only apply for one apprenticeship programme. We would recommend for you to read about each apprenticeship scheme before applying as only your first application will be considered
• If you are successful with the initial application, you will be invited to complete a short video interview within a given timeframe
• Across all stages of the application process, if you fail to submit by the deadline, your application will be automatically withdrawn

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work. Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we’re committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We’re looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

Timelines for this recruitment process:

• Initial applications open between 3 November – 19 November but may close earlier if volumes are high
• If your initial application is successful, you will be invited to complete a video interview in December 2025
• If your video interview is successful, you will be invited to an Assessment Centre which will take place in March 2026

We recognise that AI tools can assist in writing and editing, helping to improve your grammar and overall style, however it’s important to consider that reliance on AI tools can lead to applications sounding inauthentic. At British Airways we want your personality to shine through, therefore, we recommend avoiding the use of AI to increase the success of your application.