In this guide
Leonardo is accepting applications for a Mechanical Engineering Degree Apprentice in Basildon. The live employer vacancy lists £23,500, a Level 6 route to a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, and 104 UCAS points including at least two STEM subjects. Its Apply Now button was live on 31 October 2026. The employer does not state an application deadline, so check the vacancy before you spend time on the form.
That 104-point figure is only the first check. Leonardo also lists five GCSEs at grades 9–4, including Maths, English and a science. If you already hold an engineering or computing degree, the advert says this apprenticeship is not suitable for you.
What does 104 points mean here?
Leonardo writes “104 UCAS Points to include at least 2 STEM subjects”, then gives three Cs at A level as an example. Those two lines conflict. UCAS awards 32 points for an A-level C, so three Cs total 96, not 104. Do not assume either line is a typo you can resolve yourself. Ask Leonardo whether the 104-point threshold or the three-Cs example governs your application, and keep its answer. A points total from unrelated subjects also does not show that you meet the advert's two-STEM-subject rule.
This is a different threshold from the Actemium EC&I apprenticeship we covered this morning, which lists 96 points and explicit alternative qualification routes. Do not transfer one employer's entry rule to another. Our general guide to GCSE and A-level requirements explains why the precise vacancy matters more than a generic grade chart.
What would you study and do?
Leonardo says the apprentice rotates through mechanical engineering work before a final placement in its Mechanical Engineering team. The advert names designing and testing existing and new products, learning the engineering lifecycle, and completing a work project that contributes to the degree. University study uses day and block release on the Manufacturing Engineer Degree Apprenticeship standard, with a BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering.
The vacancy says apprentices should spend at least three or four days a week on site during the programme. The precise wording is “3/4 days a week”, so ask the recruiter which weeks use each pattern and where the university teaching happens. It would be a mistake to assume a mainly remote course from the “hybrid” label.
Leonardo's security section says successful applicants go through identity, right-to-work, criminal record declaration and five-year history checks. Some more sensitive posts may need national security vetting. The page gives residence guidance for SC and DV vetting, but it does not say every apprentice will need DV. Read the employer's security guidance and ask about your circumstances if the requirements could affect you.
Before you apply
- Check your points and identify the two STEM subjects you would rely on. Keep the qualification names and grades beside the form.
- Check the Basildon commute for at least three or four on-site days a week. Ask where the day and block university teaching takes place.
- Choose one piece of work you can explain clearly: a design, test, repair or technical project. Tell the employer what you measured, changed or learned, without pretending you already have professional engineering experience.
- Open the current Leonardo vacancy before submitting. No deadline is stated there. Search code 85150 on ApprenticeWizard to find the same role and save it in your application tracker.
The useful question is whether your qualifications fit this particular mechanical engineering route. If they do, the next practical checks are the Basildon travel pattern and the employer's security process. If they do not, compare other live degree apprenticeships rather than ruling out the whole field.
ApprenticeWizard tracks UK apprenticeships and internships in one place, with a free application tracker for your deadlines and next steps. On 31 October 2026, our database held 6,207 active opportunities, including 337 labelled degree apprenticeships. These are search counts, not a guarantee that every employer is still accepting applications. Start your list here.