At a Glance
- Tasks: Dive into AI research, tackle real-world challenges, and develop innovative solutions.
- Company: Join Thales, a global tech leader shaping the future with cutting-edge technology.
- Benefits: Earn while you learn, gain hands-on experience, and have your tuition fees covered.
- Other info: Enjoy a supportive learning environment with a permanent role from day one.
- Why this job: Turn your passion for AI into a career with real impact and growth opportunities.
- Qualifications: A Levels in Maths and a relevant subject, or equivalent apprenticeship experience.
The predicted salary is between 24000 - 24000 £ per year.
Location: Crawley, United Kingdom
Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.
Start Date: 06 September 2027
Salary: £24,000 per annum
Employee type: Permanent
Working Schedule: Monday – Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday – Thursday, 5 hours Friday)
Turn your curiosity into a career. If you're passionate about artificial intelligence, eager to learn, and looking for a degree apprenticeship that combines academic study with exciting on-the-job experience, we'd love to hear from you.
Benefits of the programme:
- Earn a salary while studying for your degree
- Gain hands-on experience in a real AI and engineering environment
- Receive job-specific training and development
- Achieve a recognised Level 6 qualification
- Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship
- Have your tuition fees fully paid
About the Role
As an AI Researcher Apprentice, you will develop the technical knowledge, analytical skills and professional behaviours needed to investigate challenging problems and advance the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Working alongside AI researchers, engineers and domain specialists, you will support research and experimentation on live projects, translating questions into evidence-based findings, prototypes and recommendations.
Your responsibilities may include:
- Reviewing technical literature and summarising relevant methods and evidence
- Designing controlled experiments and defining clear evaluation criteria
- Preparing data and developing proof-of-concept machine learning models
- Analysing results, limitations, uncertainty and potential sources of bias
- Documenting methods and communicating findings through reports, demonstrations and reviews
- Working with experienced researchers and engineers on live research challenges
What You Will Learn
Throughout the apprenticeship, you will gain experience and knowledge in:
- Professional research behaviours, teamwork and industry best practice
- Research methods, literature review and development of testable hypotheses
- Statistics, experimental design and reproducible analysis
- Machine learning principles, algorithms and model evaluation
- Programming, data handling and rapid prototyping techniques
- Critical assessment of evidence, uncertainty, robustness and limitations
- Responsible AI, security, privacy, safety and ethical considerations
- Clear technical writing, presentation and communication of research outcomes
Degree Apprenticeship Programme
You will study towards a Level 6 Machine Learning qualification with Corndel, developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to build and apply artificial intelligence responsibly in an engineering environment. The programme is delivered through a virtual learning model, combining:
- Live virtual lecturers
- Online learning resources
- Self-directed learning activities
This programme covers the full AI lifecycle, from concept and design, through to deployment and governance to provide a strong foundation for your role at Thales.
Entry Requirements
To apply, you will need:
- A Levels: Three A Levels Grade B or above in Maths and at least one other relevant subject (Physics, Computer Science, Software, ICT) Or Level 4/5 apprenticeship in a relevant discipline
- GCSEs: Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 4/C or above, must include:
AI Researcher Apprentice - Level 6 Machine Learning in Crawley employer: Thales
Thales is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Glasgow where innovation meets collaboration. With a strong focus on employee development, competitive benefits including a performance-related bonus and generous leave policies, and a commitment to inclusivity, Thales empowers its employees to thrive while contributing to critical projects in the Sea sector. Join us to be part of a team that values your unique strengths and supports your professional growth.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land AI Researcher Apprentice - Level 6 Machine Learning in Crawley
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We think you need these skills to ace AI Researcher Apprentice - Level 6 Machine Learning in Crawley
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!
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Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Thales, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.
Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at Thales. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!
How to prepare for a job interview at Thales
✨Brush Up on Your Statistics
For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!
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Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!
✨Get Comfortable with Python and R
Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at Thales!
✨Prepare for Case Studies
Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.
