UK defence industry faces a 53,000-worker gap. Here’s how it plans to fill it

• Defence firms will offer opportunities to 40,000 people aged 18–24 each year by 2030, rising to 50,000 by 2035.
• The pledge covers apprenticeships, work experience and permanent roles, with firms also promising to redirect unsuccessful applicants to other opportunities.
• Defence employers are facing growing demand for skilled workers, with priority occupations projected to need around 82,000 workers by 2035 when new demand and replacements are combined.

The UK’s biggest defence companies are opening up 40,000 opportunities a year for young people, in a push to expand routes into skilled work as defence spending increases.

The pledge, agreed between the government and major defence firms, will offer 18–24-year-olds opportunities through work experience, apprenticeships or permanent employment by 2030. The number is expected to rise to 50,000 a year by 2035.

Companies involved include BAE Systems, MBDA, Rolls-Royce, Babcock, Thales, Airbus, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, QinetiQ and others.

The initiative comes as the defence industry faces a growing need for workers with technical and digital skills.

A route into defence beyond the traditional military career

The opportunities are not limited to joining the Armed Forces. The defence sector employs people across engineering, manufacturing, cyber, digital technology, science and other specialist areas.

One of the main commitments is a 'no wrong door' approach. Young people who are unsuccessful in applying for one role will be directed towards other suitable opportunities elsewhere in the defence supply chain, rather than simply being turned away.

The industry has also pledged to expand apprenticeships and work experience placements, while increasing engagement with schools, communities and young people around careers in defence.

The government has already announced a £182 million defence skills package, while its Defence Investment Plan involves almost £300bn of spending over four years. The government said in June that the plan could support nearly 60,000 additional direct and indirect UK industry jobs by the end of the decade.

The latest Skills England assessment provides another indication of the scale of the challenge. It estimates that employment in 14 priority defence occupations could grow by 53,000 between 2025 and 2035. A further 29,000 workers in those occupations are expected to leave over the same period, creating total demand for around 82,000 workers.

The majority of the projected additional employment in these priority occupations is expected to require qualifications at level 4 or above, highlighting the importance of technical training and higher-level skills.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the government wanted defence spending to support jobs and skills across the UK, describing the Ministry of Defence as a “ministry of growth” and a “ministry of opportunity”.

The youth programme also forms part of the government’s wider effort to address the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

For young people considering their options after school or college, the defence industry’s expansion could therefore create routes into careers that extend well beyond the image of traditional military service, from engineering and manufacturing to artificial intelligence, robotics and cyber technology.