Two building services degree apprenticeships appeared in ApprenticeWizard's database on 13 October: one with Babcock in Plymouth, the other with AWE in Berkshire. Both are Level 6. The work behind that label is different enough that you should read past the degree title before applying.
Babcock's role starts at £27,381 and focuses on designing, maintaining and improving the systems in buildings at Devonport. AWE's starts at £24,500 and focuses on keeping facilities and their services reliable throughout their working life. Those are the advertised starting salaries, not a prediction of what either job will pay later.
Our database first saw both listings today. That does not mean either employer opened applications today: the official AWE vacancy says it was posted on 12 October. Check the live vacancy before you put a deadline in your calendar.
The two Level 6 openings
- Babcock, Building Services Engineer Degree Apprenticeship: Devonport, Plymouth; five years; BEng (Hons) Building Services Engineering through UWE Bristol; £27,381 starting salary; advertised closing date 8 December 2026. Babcock says the role needs at least three days a week on site at Devonport and one day a week at UWE Bristol during term time.
- AWE, Building Services Asset Engineering Degree Apprenticeship: the official vacancy lists Aldermaston, Berkshire; six years; Building Services Engineer Level 6 training; £24,500 starting salary, rising to £26,000 in year two subject to its stated conditions; advertised closing date 20 December 2026. The vacancy says the training provider is still being clarified.
These are two employer-verified openings, not a complete list of 2027 building services apprenticeships. On 13 October, ApprenticeWizard had 199 active listings tagged as degree apprenticeships. That is a database category count, and the tags can be wrong. Search the live roles and follow through to each employer's application page.
What would you actually work on?
Building services covers the equipment that makes a building usable: heating, ventilation, cooling, water, power and the controls around them. The job can sit close to design, maintenance or both. The two adverts show why the distinction matters.
At Devonport, Babcock describes work across design, technical analysis, maintenance and operational support. Its examples include heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, fire protection and low-carbon energy systems. If you want to calculate how a system should work and then see it operating on site, that is the part of its advert to examine.
AWE describes an asset engineering role. Its official vacancy stresses maintaining, improving and assuring the performance of existing systems in a regulated facility. It names ventilation, building management systems, maintenance planning and engineering change. It explicitly says this is not a generic building services design role. That is useful honesty from the employer: a student looking mainly for new-building design work should ask what the placements actually involve.
The salary gap is smaller than the travel question
The starting salary gap is £2,881 a year. Babcock advertises £27,381 and AWE £24,500. That comparison leaves out the time and cost of getting to work and study.
Babcock says you must live within a reasonable commute of Devonport, work there for at least three days a week, and attend UWE Bristol for one day a week during term time. Before treating the higher starting salary as a win, map that study journey from where you would live. Ask Babcock whether travel and accommodation for university days are supported; the vacancy does not give a clear answer.
The official AWE vacancy lists Aldermaston as the work address. ApprenticeWizard's imported listing says Burghfield. Those places should not be treated as interchangeable for a commute. Ask AWE which site this particular apprenticeship uses and where the off-site training will happen. Its GOV.UK listing says the training-provider position is still being confirmed.
There is a second limit to the salary comparison: these programmes last different lengths of time. Babcock describes five years; AWE lists six years. Neither starting salary tells you the full earnings over the programme or what role you would hold afterwards.
Check eligibility before writing an application
Babcock lists three A-levels including at least grade C in Maths and a STEM subject, or specified T Level and BTEC routes. Its vacancy says the post is restricted to sole UK nationals under applicable legislation and requires several security clearances. Read the exact wording if your citizenship or residency history is relevant.
AWE's official vacancy lists an A-level route of BBC including Maths and Chemistry or Physics, alongside T Level and BTEC alternatives. It says applicants must be British nationals and at least 18 by 31 August 2027, and must be able to obtain and maintain the required clearance. The GOV.UK qualification fields are formatted awkwardly, so use the detailed “Other requirements” section and ask AWE if your qualification combination is close to the boundary. Our qualification guide explains the wider Level 6 picture; the vacancy controls this application.
What to do next
- Choose the work you want to explain. For Babcock, find evidence that you enjoy analysing or improving a physical system. For AWE, think about a time you diagnosed a fault, improved reliability or kept something working safely. A school project, club or part-time job can give you an example if you have not worked in engineering.
- Test the weekly routine. Check the journey to Devonport and UWE Bristol for Babcock. Ask AWE to confirm the work site and study provider. A degree route only works if you can sustain the travel.
- Record the employer deadlines. Babcock advertises 8 December and says it may close early if interest is high. AWE advertises 20 December. Put the dates and links in your tracker, then recheck the pages before you submit. Babcock also asks candidates to apply to only one of its programmes; our guide to its Bristol routes explains why that choice matters.
The part that matters
“Building services” sounds like one career from a search result. These adverts put it in two different settings and ask you to solve different problems. Read the work and the weekly routine first. The degree is a valuable outcome, but it does not tell you what your Tuesday will look like.
ApprenticeWizard brings live apprenticeships and internships into one searchable place, with a free application tracker. The database count and first-seen dates in this article were checked on 13 October 2026; vacancy details were checked against the linked employer and GOV.UK pages the same day. Start your shortlist.
Cover image: an original illustration of building systems, not a photograph of either employer's site.