Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to help encourage (a) newly-qualified engineering graduates and (b) technicians to join the defence sector.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has an established Head of Profession for Defence Engineering who is engaged across the MOD, defence industry and wider government to simplify and optimise graduate and apprenticeship applications processes within defence, enhancing the inflow of these critical skills.

In addition to the established Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship Scheme (DSUS) we are engaged with the Engineering Council and Professional Engineering Institutes (PEIs) to develop Defence’s reputation as a lead employer for engineers and technicians of the UK.