At a glance
- Soldier
- engineering
Trained to use digital radio systems, you’ll help us keep in contact. It’s a crucial job, which comes with qualifications and an exciting Army life.
- £16,844The minimum amount you’ll earn during training
- £21,425Your pay after completing basic trade training
- AgeFrom 16 years & 6 months to 35 years & 6 months
- QualificationsNo formal qualifications needed

Communication is vital in the Army. You’ll be in charge of cutting-edge systems that help us keep in contact, wherever we are in the world. You could be a Soldier on the ground or you could be part of a crew in an armoured vehicle. Either way, you may have to deal with secret information and work as part of a team. First-class training will teach you everything you need to know: telecommunications, communications engineering, computing and IT. It’s a great skill set for a career outside the Army too. With sports and Adventurous Training, you’ll have a full, exciting life.
Digital Communications Technician is a Combat role in the Royal Engineers. All the Royal Engineer soldier job roles are divided into 5 groups. When you apply to the Engineers, you will apply to the trade group rather than the specific trade.
The Corps of Royal Engineers allows the Army to work all over the world, whether it's involved in active combat or disaster relief. The Corps are ‘first in’, setting up bases ready for the rest of the Army to arrive and ‘last out’, closing down patrol bases and military camps. The Corps is at the forefront in disaster-relief operations, effecting rapid repairs to damaged infrastructure in stricken areas.
Key Responsibilities
Operate radios and communications equipment
Learn about communication engineering
Become proficient in IT
Drive military vehicles
Have the responsibility of dealing with classified information
Have any questions? Talk with us
Regular (full time)
Entry requirements
Age:
From 16 years & 6 months to 35 years & 6 months years
Qualifications:
No formal qualifications needed
Basic physical fitness assessment:
Mid Thigh Pull 50kg
Medicine Ball Throw 3m
MSFT (beep test) level 7.5
Training for the role
Step 1
Your initial military training teaches you how to be a soldier, covering everything from fieldcraft to how to handle a rifle. If you join as a Junior Soldier (under 17 years 5 months), you’ll do a 23-week basic military training course at Harrogate. If you join as a Regular Soldier (over 17 years 1 month), you’ll do the regular 14-week adult basic training.
Step 2
Then it’s off to the Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment near Camberley, Surrey, for nine weeks. Here, you learn military engineering skills, such as knots and lashings, demolition, mine warfare and bridge building. Then it’s 10 weeks’ technical training, where you’ll learn communication skills and how to operate the digital Bowman Radio System.
Qualifications you could get after training
Variety of driving licences Military Engineer (Combat) Class 3 Military Engineer (C3 Systems) Class 3 Telecommunications Apprenticeship Level 2 NVQ in Communication Technologies (Practitioner) Level 1 Key Skills in Communication, Application of Numbers and Information Communication Technology European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)
Pay & benefits
Earn £16,844 a year during training. When you have completed 26 weeks' service or finished basic trade training – whichever comes first – your pay will rise to £21,425.
How to Apply
Once your online application has been approved, you'll meet with a local recruiter. This is your chance to tell us about the role that you're interested in. When you go to the Assessment Centre, you'll take tests - the results will show whether you'd be suitable for this role, or should consider a different role.