Defence giant BAE Systems will create around 1,700 jobs in the UK next year, mostly in the north of England.
The FTSE 100 group – a key contractor for the Ministry of Defence – will take on more than 900 apprentices and create 750 graduate and undergraduate roles.
BAE said it will be the largest ever intake of early-careers recruits and 25 per cent larger than its 2021 cohort.
Top flight: BAE Systems, which is a key contractor for the Ministry of Defence, will take on more than 900 apprentices and 750 graduate and undergraduate roles
Around 800 jobs will be in the North West, where BAE builds submarines at the country’s largest shipyard in Barrow.
The recruits will work on major defence programmes such as Tempest – a jet for the Royal Air Force – as well as submarines and frigates for the Royal Navy.
Charles Woodburn, BAE’s chief executive, said: ‘Creating high-quality employment for young people across the country ensures we retain the critical capabilities we need to sustain our business for the long-term, while helping to drive growth across the UK’s regional economies.’
This month chairman Roger Carr said boosting the regions would help solve the UK’s productivity issues.
He wrote: ‘The Government has a mandate to make the UK a fairer economic environment, bringing opportunities and prosperity to under-invested regions through its levelling-up agenda.
‘For Government to succeed big businesses need to play their part.’
The £17billion company has more than 35,000 employees at around 50 sites in the UK and a worldwide workforce of around 90,000.
