Skip to content
Job Role
Accelerated Apprentice Petty Officer (AAPO) Scheme Marine Engineering General Service (MEGS)
Job Role

Accelerated Apprentice Petty Officer (AAPO) Scheme Marine Engineering General Service (MEGS)

You’ll be fast-tracked to working with our most advanced warships, part of the team that makes sure they’re always ready for action.

TechnologyEngineeringMechanicsApprenticeships
  • £37,500 - £58,000
  • A-Levels / college qualifications
  • Surface Fleet
  • Engineering
  • Rating level

At a glance

Joining the Royal Navy on the Accelerated Apprentice Petty Officer (AAPO) Scheme Marine Engineering General Service (MEGS) streamlines your route to life as a world-class marine engineer. After a condensed training period, it will be your job to make sure our state-of-the-art warships are ready for action.

An Advanced Apprenticeship Air Engineering rating working on Royal Navy kit.
I didn’t have the qualifications to join as an Engineer Officer, but this scheme meant I could move straight into a role that’s got the responsibility I want. Now I get to travel the world, getting my hands dirty, and working with amazing kit.

Matt

Engineering Technician, Engineering branch

Role details

What you’ll do

Joining the Royal Navy on the Accelerated Apprentice Petty Officer (AAPO) Scheme Marine Engineering General Service (MEGS) streamlines your route to life as a world-class marine engineer.

After a condensed training period, it will be your job to make sure our state-of-the-art warships are ready for action. Wherever you are, and whatever the problem, you'll keep us moving. That can mean anything from maintenance in the Engine Room of a Type 45 Destroyer, to providing electricity for a Type 23 Frigate.

Your role

  • Be a key part of the immense engineering effort that goes into powering our ships, keeping every operation on track, and making some essential missions possible.
  • Find innovative and resourceful solutions to complex problems, applying the engineering skills and knowledge you gain, in a world where there is no such thing as standard.
  • Get your hands on of some of the most sophisticated equipment on the planet, working with your team, and under the guidance of the Marine Engineer Officer.
  • Complete daily rounds, checking equipment to ensure the ship remains operational. You’ll need to be precise and pay attention to detail, because even the smallest oversight can have a big impact on the rest of the ship

Pay & benefits

  • A starting salary of £37,711, rising to £58,000 as your career progresses
  • An excellent non-contributory pension scheme – we pay into it for you, so you don’t have to sacrifice any salary
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year – plus public holidays
  • Free medical and dental care
  • Amazing opportunities, including world travel and adventurous training for two weeks every year
  • Free gym and sports, from football to kayaking to kite-surfing
  • Forces Help to Buy scheme – a 0% loan to get you on, or further up, the housing ladder
  • Subsidised travel, accommodation and food
  • Handy discounts with lots of top brands, from Marriott hotels to Audi cars and high street stores

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • An Advanced Apprenticeship (level 3) in Engineering Manufacturing

Opportunities open to you  

  • You could work toward a degree like Mechanical  Engineering

Skills you'll develop

  • Use your natural aptitude for fixing things, on a massive scale. 
  • Learn to maintain and operate some of the most cutting-edge kit on the planet and become familiar with a variety of sophisticated mechanical systems. 
  • You could be working on one of our new Type 45 Destroyers or QE Class Aircraft Carriers, the most advanced warships the nation has ever built.
 

Eligibility

  • You need to be aged 17 to 37
  • You must be a United Kingdom national, or Commonwealth citizen, or Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test
  • A minimum of three GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade 4 or above, including English Language, Mathematics and at least one science PLUS:

Option 1

  • National Qualifications Framework Level 3 Diploma (with a minimum of a Merit Pass) in an engineering discipline, OR 

Option 2

  • At least 48 UCAS points in A-Levels (or equivalent) in Mathematics and a STEM subject (minimum grade D or above in each subject)

Skills & interests

  • A quick thinker, with a passion for working with the latest equipment and technology
  • A problem-solver who can work well as part of a team
  • A real sense of adventure, with a high level of physical and mental fitness
  • Enthusiasm for fixing and maintaining electronic and mechanical systems

 

Joining process

From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.

Got a question?

Our virtual recruiter is available to answer your questions 24 hours a day

More roles like this