100 million-dollar fighter jets and American food: an MOD apprenticeship

Posted on: 29 January, 2025

Christopher’s journey to becoming a Project Manager Apprentice with the Ministry of Defence showcases the breadth of opportunities available in the built environment.


Name: Christopher Allen

Job role: Project Manager Apprentice

Company: Ministry of Defence

As an apprentice at the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Chris Allen isn’t your typical construction project manager. Stationed at the American military base at RAF Lakenheath, he spends his days getting dormitories and hospitals built (along with other projects that he’s understandably not authorised to talk about).

“Working on an American base is really cool. You’ve got 100 million-dollar fighter jets flying over your head all day long – and you get to eat all the American food, too!

“My first day on base was very interesting. We went on the “tower tour” which is where you go up the flight control tower to see the fighter jets taking off. We also went into a recently finished hangar for one of the jets. It was a pretty awesome first day!”

So awesome, in fact, that in October, Chris organised a day out for some of his fellow apprentices at the MOD to experience life at Lakenheath.

“I hosted an apprentice day for everyone in my year, and we had a really great day exploring Lakenheath and seeing all the defence projects under construction.”

Before planes … property development

Chris’s career began in property development, where he helped transform houses into flats and HMOs. While he enjoyed the work, it lacked structure. “I’d never had any formal training,” Chris explains. “I did some project management as part of the role, and picked it up as I went along, but I wanted to formalise what I was doing.” When the company he worked for closed during the pandemic, Chris started searching for new opportunities.

Although he wasn’t specifically looking for an apprenticeship, when Chris came across a role with the MOD that combined hands-on work with earning a degree, it felt like a great fit. “I’d always been interested in working for the MOD,” he says. “This apprenticeship offered the chance to get the training I’d missed out on while working in a field I already loved. It seemed like a perfect opportunity.”

Now 18 months into his apprenticeship, Chris is thriving in his new career. “I went to university before, straight out of school, but I only lasted a year. Now I’m a bit older, a bit more mature, it feels like the right time.”

Chris feels that an apprenticeship is “a much more integrated way of learning because you’re actually going and implementing it rather than just learning the theory at university.” The combination of earning, learning and skills implementation is, for Chris, “an all encompassing way of getting a degree”.Studying around his schedule

Chris is based in Portsmouth, which is a significant journey by train to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. Initially he made the commute twice a week, but when that proved unsustainable, his managers worked with him to arrange an alternative schedule of one week on-site per month. “I do wish I could be on-site more often, but the balance we’ve struck works well.”

It’s fair to say that Chris would not also be able to go to a bricks-and-mortar university every week for his study day. For this reason, he’s very appreciative of the 100% online learning model that UCEM offers, and he often maximises his train journeys by catching up on his studies.

“The flexibility of online learning has been invaluable,” he says. “Whether I’m on a train or working late, I can fit studying around my schedule. It’s designed to work with your life, not against it.”

What Chris values most, though, is the practical application of what he’s learning. “You’re not just sitting in a lecture hall; you’re out there applying what you’ve learned,” he says. In his 18 months at UCEM, Chris has studied modules on sustainability, finance, and digital technology that have directly informed his work.

Sustainability: a key concern

A core part of Chris’s role – and the MOD’s approach to construction – is to limit the carbon emissions from new projects.

Through the Defence-Related Environmental Assessment Methodology (DREAM), the MOD ensures all projects meet high environmental standards. Chris has championed the use of air-source heat pumps in dormitories and prioritises sourcing materials and contractors locally whenever possible.

“Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword,” Chris says. “It’s embedded in every decision we make, from choosing contractors to selecting materials. It’s about ensuring that the work we do today doesn’t compromise the future.”

Future plans

Speaking of the future, Chris may have a full plate with his project work, studies and long-distance commuting, but that hasn’t stopped him thinking about the longer term.

He’s keen to remain at the MOD for the foreseeable future: “There’s so much variety here, and the opportunities are endless,” he says. His ultimate goal is to become a programme manager, overseeing multiple projects and driving strategic decisions.

While he knows the private sector might offer higher pay, Chris values the satisfaction his role brings. “It’s rare to find a job you genuinely enjoy,” he says. “I’ve found that here.”

Championing apprenticeships

Chris believes the industry could do more to promote apprenticeships, particularly in schools. Thinking back to his own school days, Chris was never presented with any apprenticeship options in any industry. “Had I known that apprenticeships were available, this certainly would have been something that I would have looked at.”

Chris’s line manager Sam is also an apprentice (in his final year) and has been a huge support to Chris, sharing his first-hand experiences of the apprenticeship journey. “Sending people like us into schools to show others what’s possible is the best way to do it. We’ve been through the process so we can tell them what it’s really like and show them what a wonderful opportunity an apprenticeship really is.”

Rising Star award nomination

Being nominated in the Rising Star category at the UCEM Built Environment Apprenticeship Awards has been a humbling experience for Chris. “It’s wonderful to know there are people out there who think I’m doing a good job!,” he says. “I don’t work for recognition, but I work with great people and it’s lovely to be acknowledged for what I do.”