Individual employers will set the selection criteria including relevant qualifications and experience. The apprentice is likely to be required to demonstrate an aptitude for functional maths and competence in written and spoken English.
Whilst any entry requirements will be a matter for individual employers, typically an apprentice might be expected to already have 5 GCSEs (A*-C); other relevant qualifications or experience; or pass an aptitude test.
Develop, implement and maintain complete IT solutions such as networks, operating systems and applications IT Solutions Technicians develop, implement and maintain complete IT solutions, including their hardware infrastructure (such as servers and networks) and software (such as operating systems, middleware and applications). They work as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Many such teams will be modern “DevOps” style teams, which carry out the full set of stages across the whole solution lifecycle: requirements gathering, solution development, testing, implementation and ongoing support. In more traditional organisations the team is likely to be focused more at one or other end of this broad set of activities. Such teams may well be in transition to a modern “DevOps” style team. An IT Solutions Technician applies a professional methodology or framework to gather and analyse requirements; to design, develop, test, and implement IT solutions and to provide ongoing support both directly to end users and for the underlying IT services. The specific tasks undertaken vary depending on what needs to be achieved by the team at any particular time. Some tasks may be very technical, others may be more analytical, business or user focused. IT Solutions Technicians undertake duties across the complete IT solution, working on the team’s core activities so all apprentices take a common core and then choose one of two options. IT Hardware Solutions Technicians undertake activities in the area of the infrastructure aspects of solutions such as servers and networks (fixed or mobile); Typical job titles include IT Solutions Technician, Technical Analyst, Junior Support Analyst, IT Support Analyst, Systems Analyst, IT Technical Support, IT Systems Support Technician, Junior DevOps Professional, IT Service Desk or Technical Service Support (at 2nd, 3rd or 4th line support) Or IT Software Solutions Technicians undertake activities in the area of applications and supporting components such as databases.
Learning happens in a variety of ways: in the workplace; with an assessor; as 20% Off The Job (OTJ) training; and independent study. The course requires a high level of commitment and flexibility. You will be encouraged to experience a wide range of roles and responsibilities. As well as creating a portfolio of work using digital technologies, you will also develop important life-skills such as time-management and effective team-work.
This course should be completed within 18 months.
Typical job titles include IT Solutions Technician, Service Analyst, Junior Systems Analyst, Systems Developer, Database Technician, IT Support Analyst, IT Support Technician, IT Systems Support, Junior DevOps Professional, IT Service Desk or Applications Support Technician (at 2nd, 3rd or 4th line support)