There has never been such a high demand for tech savvy people, but there’s a shortage of workers with the right skills. Once trained and qualified, there are great job prospects because employers need your expertise.
Technology is central to many careers, whether that’s in construction, health, media, retail, travel and hospitality, banking, or engineering. Whatever sector takes your fancy you can be pretty sure there’s a digital apprenticeship you can do.
To help guide you, BCS has set up a careers page, where you can hear directly from apprentices’ themselves at Digital Skills for Careers.
So, what does an apprenticeship entail?
You’ll spend 80% of your time learning and getting valuable experience in the workplace and 20% off-the-job, taking part in structured training. Apprentices benefit from earning a wage and gaining a qualification at the same time, and there’s no cost involved for the training itself.
You can start an apprenticeship from aged 16, so long as you are not in full time education. There’s also no upper age limit, so if you’re a career changer, it could also be the route for you.
The qualifications will depend on its level, organisation, and job role and can take from between one to five years. Apprenticeships have equivalent educational levels:
| Level | Equivalent educational level |
|---|---|
| Intermediate - 2 | GCSE |
| Advanced - 3 | A level |
| Higher - 4,5,6 and 7 | Foundation degree and above |
| Degree - 6 and 7 | Bachelor’s or master’s degree |
Some apprenticeships may also give you an additional qualification, such as a diploma.
Opportunities in tech jobs
The main areas where there are shortages are cyber security, big data analytics and technical architects. For example, as a cybersecurity expert, you could beat hackers and keep sensitive data safe. As a data analyst, you could provide the facts needed to make crucial decisions, whether that’s how a business could run more efficiently, through to identifying patterns of global warming.
