Apprenticeships in Portsmouth
A historic maritime city, Portsmouth is renowned as his majesty’s Naval Base – the best-known of the UK’s three Royal Navy bases.
The city also has a strong presence in other sectors, such as finance, aerospace, defence, and advanced engineering. Major employers in the area include L3Harris, QinetiQ, Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, Babcock International, Airbus, Google, Zurich Insurance, and the NatWest Group.
Careers in Portsmouth
Unsurprisingly, many of Portsmouth’s most common occupations centre around the water. The city is an ideal place to start a career in the Royal Marines or Royal Navy. You can work on ferries or cruise ships, operate hovercrafts, or teach and monitor watersports.
Many Portsmouth residents work in IT, education, social care, logistics and shipping, as well as the trades, including electricians, plumbers, joiners, and carpenters.
Other sectors with lots of opportunities include finance and insurance, tourism and hospitality, construction, and retail.
Let’s find out a little bit more about jobs and apprenticeships available in this unique city.
The latest apprentice jobs in Portsmouth
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British Sugar Apprenticeships Scheme
British SugarUK -
TUI Retail Apprentice
TuiWaterlooville, Portsmouth -
Apprentice Bricklayer Barratt Redrow PLC – BDW Redrow Southern Counties
Barratt RedrowWaterlooville, Portsmouth -
07. Apprentice Installation Engineer – Fire – Dorset
Johnson ControlsWaterlooville, Portsmouth -
Supply Chain Apprentice
Parker MeggittFareham, Portsmouth -
Degree Apprentice Manufacturing Engineer
Parker MeggittFareham, Portsmouth
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Search all jobs.
Top employers in Portsmouth
Living and working in Portsmouth
Dubbed the ‘island city’, Portsmouth is the only UK city surrounded on all four sides by water.
Not only do you have beautiful beaches, but there is also an abundance of watersports to try.
Don’t worry about being isolated, Portsmouth has regular ferries and hovercrafts to destinations such as the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, France and Spain.
You will also find road and rail routes to London and the South Coast.
Back in the city, there’s plenty to see and do whatever the weather. Portsmouth has two cathedrals, a bustling nightlife, live music venues, art galleries and glorious green spaces such as Staunton Country Park – boasting 1,000 acres of stunning gardens.
Portsmouth is littered with impressive interactive museums such as the HMS Victory, The D-Day Story, and The Mary Rose..
There are guided tours celebrating the city’s rich literary, maritime, and cultural heritage, including ‘Charles Dickens’ Birthplace’ and ‘Historic Naval City’.
Old Portsmouth is ideal for a family day out to visit the hot walls beach and The Spice Island Inn, while the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre offers boutique and High Street staples with fine dining and a cinema.
Portsmouth has a high employment rate of 80.4%, and the cost of living is around 21% lower than London.
House prices in Portsmouth are increasing, but are still slightly cheaper than London or much of the South East.
Degree apprenticeships in Portsmouth
At the highest level, apprenticeships in the UK can enable you to achieve a bachelor’s or master’s degree while earning at least minimum wage and gaining practical hands-on experience. They are run by businesses in conjunction with reputable UK universities.
The University of Portsmouth is a leading higher education institute with a strong apprenticeship programme. There are 20+ degree apprenticeships available in such subjects as architecture, biomedical science, civil engineering, chartered surveying, digital marketing, teaching, and journalism.
Industry spotlight
Joining the Royal Navy is a chance to travel, serve your country, and make a difference. An exciting and rewarding career, it is a good option for those who would prefer not to be office-based.
Royal Navy apprenticeships fall into two categories, rating apprenticeships – entry-level, and accelerated apprenticeships (Level 3) which are engineering-based.
There are numerous roles within the Royal Navy, from ranks such as Petty Officer and Submariner to Dental Hygienist, nurse, musician, engineer and supply chain operative.
Aside from the Royal Navy, Portsmouth is a centre for the defence sector. American defence contractors L3Harris and QinetiQ both have a strong presence in the city.
The Ministry of Defence offers several apprenticeships in Portsmouth, Manchester and Bristol. From IT and cyber security to equipment for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, working with the MOD offers the opportunity to work on unique projects and help our armed forces protect the country.
Apprenticeships include digital technology, finance, engineering, aerospace, business administration, project delivery and corporate services.
Portsmouth also has a strong finance and insurance sector, encompassing financial services, accounting, compliance and data analysis.
There are many jobs in finance, including:
- Accountant
- Actuary
- Compliance officer
- Financial analyst
- Investment banker
Zurich Insurance offers levels 3 and 4, and degree apprenticeships in subjects such as actuarial, compliance and risk, insurance, accounting, and data and technology.
You can also apply for a degree apprenticeship with the NatWest Group, focusing on areas such as relationship management, data and insights, specialist business support, and business administration and project management.
What is an apprenticeship?
Simply put, an apprenticeship is a government-funded initiative that combines practical, paid employment with subsided learning. The split is usually 80/20% in favour of hands-on work.
UK apprentices are employed by a company while studying for an industry-recognised qualification.
Apprenticeships are categorised into levels reflecting their complexity and the qualification you will receive upon completion:
Level 2 (Intermediate) – equivalent to 5 GCSE passes
Level 3 (Advanced) – equivalent to 2 A Level passes
Levels 4- 5 (Higher) – equivalent to a foundation degree
Levels 6-7 (Degree) – equivalent to a bachelor’s or master’s degree
To apply for an apprenticeship, you must be 16 or older, not in full-time education and eligible to live and work in the UK.
For most apprenticeships, there is no upper age limit, but individual apprenticeship programmes may have subsequent entry requirements.
The aim is to diversify and upskill the UK workforce, making it more productive and profitable to boost the economy.
An alternative to traditional education, apprenticeships remove the obstacles that can prohibit people from pursuing certain kinds of work and qualifications.
Why Choose an Apprenticeship?
The First Step
Entry-level apprenticeships can help you get a foot in the door of a particular sector and lead to a lifelong career.
They can help you improve your grades and earn qualifications in industries that you may otherwise have been excluded from.
Lower-level apprenticeships tend to last around a year to 18 months, so you don’t necessarily need to be in the exact right place and position for them to be beneficial.
Gaining real-life experience, making important contacts and earning while learning are all reasons to apply for an apprenticeship.
Advanced, higher and degree-level apprenticeships can help change jobs and embark on a new career, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
A Guaranteed Wage
As an apprentice in the UK, you are guaranteed to earn at least the national living wage for your age group. Your, typically monthly, salary will reflect your position in the company and could be significantly more than the minimum, depending on your employer.
More Apprenticeships, More Options
New reports indicate a 1.3% rise in apprenticeships in the UK for 2024/2025 from 2023/2024.
This means that there are more apprenticeships available in more industries and more UK locations.
It also increases your chances of a successful application. British businesses are taking on more apprenticeships, creating new opportunities every day.
Qualify Faster
Another benefit of an apprenticeship versus a traditional college or university course is that they tend to be shorter, but you achieve the same qualifications.
Some courses take up to seven years, whereas most apprenticeships last 12 months to three years.
You can earn GCSEs, A Levels, a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or an industry-specific qualification such as a chartered accountant or a rank in the British armed forces.
At the same time, you are working in your field, gaining invaluable practical experience to complement the theory.
(Lots of ) Location, Location, Locations
More apprenticeships naturally means better access to programmes, no matter where you are in the UK.
While super specialist programmes are still likely to be based in big cities where they have more resources, you can find apprenticeships catering to most occupations close to home.
If you have additional needs, it may be possible for you to work from home and complete your apprenticeship remotely – it never hurts to ask!
Have we piqued your interest? Apply for an apprenticeship today!
With our subject and location filters, all the latest apprenticeships in Portsmouth are at our fingertips.
If you want to do some more research before you commit to a career path, our industry
school subject pages should help you out.
Still have questions? Or just want to have a chat about your choices? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch, and we’ll get back to you asap!
