British Steel opens 2027 recruitment for more than 40 apprentices and graduates

British Steel has opened applications for more than 40 apprentices and graduates to join its Scunthorpe, Teesside and Skinningrove sites in September 2027, with 40 of the posts being electrical and mechanical apprenticeships.

The steelmaker said the 2027 intake includes 12 electrical and 12 mechanical apprenticeships at Scunthorpe, and eight electrical and eight mechanical at its Northern Mills at Teesside and Skinningrove. Graduate roles are also open in manufacturing operations, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and materials engineering (quality and process).

Apprenticeship applications close on 8 March 2027 and graduate applications on 26 February 2027, the company said. Further graduate posts in other business functions are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Nick Ashton, HR Director at British Steel, said: "The steel industry offers a huge variety of career opportunities, and we're committed to helping people develop the skills and confidence they need to build successful and rewarding careers."

The 2027 roles

Site and discipline	Apprenticeships
Scunthorpe electrical	12
Scunthorpe mechanical	12
Northern Mills electrical	8
Northern Mills mechanical	8

Applicants for the apprenticeships need at least three GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including Maths, English and Science, British Steel said. The package includes 35 days' holiday including bank holidays, a company pension, a health cash plan and an Employee Assistance Programme, and the company said its aim is to offer permanent employment on successful completion of the programme.

British Steel said successful candidates begin with specialist training before moving into operational areas of the business. According to an earlier British Steel announcement, Scunthorpe apprentices move into plant-based roles in areas such as steelmaking, ironmaking and infrastructure. Scunthorpe apprentices are taught by tutors from CATCH, the company's training provider, while those at Teesside and Skinningrove study with TTE in partnership with Middlesbrough College Group.

The 2026 intake

The 2027 round follows a larger intake this year. In August, British Steel said 70 apprentices and graduates would join in September 2026, made up of 36 electrical, mechanical and structural apprentices at Scunthorpe, 17 apprentices at the Northern mills in Teesside and Skinningrove, one apprentice at its R&D centre in Sheffield, and 16 graduates. The 2027 breakdown does not list a Sheffield apprenticeship.

The company said the 2026 roles attracted more than 1,000 applications, with over 600 of those for apprenticeships by late February. It described the 16 graduates as the first to join since 2022, after it relaunched graduate recruitment, and said it reopened its Scunthorpe apprentice training centre in 2026.

Mr Ashton said: "Many of our colleagues began their careers through apprenticeship and graduate programmes and have gone on to hold key roles across the organisation."

Public ownership

The Department for Business and Trade said the government took British Steel into public ownership on 16 July 2026, the day after the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act received Royal Assent, because it was not possible to reach an agreement with the former owner Jingye. The department said maintaining steel production at the Scunthorpe site is considered essential.

According to the department, the UK steel sector supported around 33,000 direct jobs in 2025 and a further 36,000 across supply chains. British Steel describes itself as producing up to 3 million tonnes of steel products a year.

Graduate applications for the 2027 intake close on 26 February 2027, with apprenticeship applications closing on 8 March 2027 and successful candidates starting in early September 2027.