Britain's busiest airport, in Hounslow, west London, with a 4-year engineering apprenticeship, graduate leadership programmes and a community apprenticeship scheme.
Heathrow is the UK's biggest airport, in west London, with four passenger terminals (2, 3, 4 and 5). It opened in 1946 as London Airport and was renamed Heathrow in 1966. More than 80 million passengers used it in 2024, and it is the main London base for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Heathrow Airport Limited, the company that runs it, employs people in engineering, operations, security, customer service, technology, data, finance, sustainability and many other areas.
Heathrow's own core statement is: "Aviation is a force for good, connecting people and creating economic growth." Its sustainability strategy, Connecting People and Planet, sets goals such as net zero by 2050 and cutting its carbon footprint by 2030, and it sets a community commitment to create 10,000 jobs, apprenticeships and early career opportunities for local people. These are the company's stated aims.
Heathrow Airport Limited is based at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow, and its roles are based at the airport in the London Borough of Hillingdon and Hounslow area. The airport also runs a shared apprenticeship scheme for people living in its nine surrounding boroughs. By July 2025, 157 apprentices had enrolled since 2018, 49 had completed, and the aim was to reach 500 within five years. Employers across the airport host the apprentices.
Heathrow says its values were "developed by our colleagues, for our colleagues" and that it wants everyone to be able to thrive, and it aims for 80% of colleagues to agree the airport is inclusive. It says that "diverse talent makes us stronger". These are company statements. An apprentice in the shared scheme, who retrained as a civil engineer in his thirties, called it "a great opportunity to gain on-site experience with great people".
The engineering apprenticeship is a four-year route. Its page says it has run for almost 50 years, over half the current engineering workforce started as apprentices, and more than 95% of apprentices are offered a permanent job. Entry asks for GCSEs at grade 4 in maths, English and science, age 16 or over, and willingness to do shifts once 18. Apprentices work towards BTEC and NVQ Level 3 with the option of a Level 4 HNC. Applications for 2026 closed, and reopen in February 2027. The graduate route includes an 18-month Rotational Graduate Leadership Development Programme and a three-year Engineering Graduate programme; the 2027 intake closes 13 November 2026. Pay was not stated.
Website: www.heathrow.com
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