DevOps Engineer Level 4

Learn how to enable organisations to get valuable working software out in front of active users and improving the quality of digital services

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Apprenticeship overview

Apprenticeships allow individuals to gain practical skills and knowledge while working in real jobs, setting a strong foundation for their careers in the tech sector. Apprenticeships are open to school leavers or existing employees within an organisation. In order to undertake an Apprenticeship you must be supported by an Employer.

  • 30 months
  • Virtual
  • 6 to 8 hours / week

Why study DevOps?

This occupation is found in a wide and diverse range of public and private sector organisations, from tech start ups through government departments to multinationals. Essentially any organisation of any size that builds and/or operates modern IT services.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to enable organisations to get valuable working software out in front of active users, both external and internal, frequently and safely, reducing time to market, delivering increased value - both with respect to the end user and the business - and improving the quality of digital services.

The key activities that DevOps Engineer graduates perform include:

  • Build, test, and maintain infrastructure and tools so that software can be developed and released.
  • Help organisations and businesses speed up, and automate aspects of development, testing, releasing and updating software.
  • Improving software development lifecycle efficiency.
Students studying to be a DevOps Engineer
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Enhance your employability

Linked in Profile review alumni access, networking, and interview opportunities. Development of wider skills via our monthly Newsletter and events. We will provide pastoral support to ensure you are developing all the relevant behaviours such as communication, problem solving, emotional intelligence and growth mindset.

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Prerequisites

The ideal candidate will be selected by the employer based on their pre-requisites and screening process.

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.

The tools a student needs are as follows:

  • A working laptop running Windows 10 or more, MacOS or any major distribution of Linux.
  • A working microphone and video camera.
  • A stable internet connection.
  • Chromebooks, tablets and phones are not conducive to undertaking the sessions.

Curriculum

  • Script and code in at least one general purpose language and at least one domain-specific language to orchestrate infrastructure, follow test driven development and ensure appropriate test coverage.
  • Initiate and facilitate knowledge sharing and technical collaboration with teams and individuals, with a focus on supporting development of team members.
  • Engage in productive pair/mob programming to underpin the practice of peer review.
  • Work as part of an agile team, and explore new ways of working, rapidly responding to changing user needs and with a relentless focus on the user experience. Understand the importance of continual improvement within a blameless culture.
  • Build and operate a Continuous Integration (CI) capability, employing version control of source code and related artefacts.
  • Implement and improve release automation & orchestration, often using Application Programming Interfaces (API), as part of a continuous delivery and continuous deployment pipeline, ensuring that team(s) are able to deploy new code rapidly and safely.
  • Provision cloud infrastructure using APIs, continually improve infrastructure-as-code, considering use of industry leading technologies as they become available (e.g. Serverless, Containers).
  • Evolve and define architecture, utilising the knowledge and experience of the team to design in an optimal user experience, scalability, security, high availability and optimal performance.
  • Apply leading security practices throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
  • Implement a good coverage of monitoring (metrics, logs), ensuring that alerts are visible, tuneable and actionable.
  • Keep up with cutting edge by committing to continual training and development - utilise web resources for self-learning; horizon scanning; active membership of professional bodies such as Meetup Groups; subscribe to relevant publications.
  • Look to automate any manual tasks that are repeated, often using APIs.
  • Accept ownership of changes; embody the DevOps culture of 'you build it, you run it', with a relentless focus on the user experience.
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Outcomes

  • Development of wider skills.
  • Mental health support.
  • Access to our Alumni community.
  • Support with personal development.
  • Networking events.

Employer Funding

Apprenticeships are funded based on employer Wage Bills. There are two types of employers and funding is based on the employer category you fall under:

A Levy employer with a pay bill of more than £3 million is required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy. Funds can be managed using the Apprenticeship service and spent towards training and assessing Apprentices. The government will apply a 10% top-up to the funds you have in your account.

Maximum funding from the government is capped at £17,000 for the DevOps Engineer Level 4 Apprenticeship.

What employer category do I fall under?

For non-Levy paying employers, the government will fund 95% of the cost of training an apprentice, with a 5% contribution from the employer.

For an employer with fewer than 50 employees, the government will fund 100% of the cost for Apprentices aged 16-18, or Apprentices aged 19-24 with an education and healthcare need.

Maximum funding from the government is capped at £17,000 for the DevOps Engineer Level 4 Apprenticeship.

What employer category do I fall under?

Frequently asked questions

Will I get a certificate at the end?

How many hours a week do I need to commit to classes and self-learning?

How is the Apprenticeship delivered?

How long is the Apprenticeship?

Can I do an Apprenticeship without an employer?

Is attendance mandatory?

How can I find an Apprenticeship role?

Have a question?

If you’d like to learn more about our Bootcamps and Apprenticeships, a potential partnership or you have any other questions, please contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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