National Apprenticeship Week 2025: Building Skills for Life in Defence

National Apprenticeship Week 2025 (NAW) will take place from the 10^th to the 16^th of February across England.  This year’s theme is ‘Skills for Life’ and encourages everyone to consider and celebrate how apprenticeships and skills help individuals develop rewarding careers, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.

Throughout the week Defence we will be celebrating apprenticeships and showcasing the great programmes on offer which all staff can get involved in. Defence has a wide range of apprenticeships from Project Delivery and HR to Operational Delivery and Finance.  These are not limited by age, and anyone at any level or stage in their career can benefit from the life-long skills learned on an apprenticeship. 

Hear from some of apprentices:

At the age of 55, I embarked on an apprenticeship, a journey that has been both exciting and fulfilling. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given this opportunity at my age, which speaks volumes about the organisation's dedication to lifelong learning. This experience has reinforced my belief that learning and development are continuous processes, and it has been a positive step towards greater inclusion within the MOD. - Simone

I successfully completed my apprenticeship and received a promotion off the back of this. The opportunity to learn and work at the same time was a no-brainer for me, it just opens so many doors for developing skills that are very relevant today. The MOD has lots of great apprenticeship opportunities and I’d encourage anyone considering it to just go for it!  - Ramji

My advice to you, if you are thinking about doing an apprenticeship is go for it!  I’m so glad I did. - Joanne