The route, drawn out
DWG 5988 · 5 stops · 2 years to qualify-
Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
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Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
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2 years Fully qualified around £30k
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+3–5 years Experienced up to £55k
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Then Level 6 cyber security degree apprenticeship next step
The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.
What the job is
Cyber security apprenticeships put you in a security operations centre or security team, watching alerts, investigating suspicious activity and helping harden systems.
Demand vastly exceeds supply, particularly for people who can do the practical work rather than just discuss frameworks. Public sector, finance, defence and managed service providers all recruit apprentices, and clearance-eligible candidates are especially sought after.
A typical day
- Monitor security alerts and triage potential incidents
- Investigate suspicious activity and escalate appropriately
- Run vulnerability scans and track remediation
- Support access control, patching and configuration hardening
- Help deliver security awareness and incident documentation
How you get in
- Usually 5 GCSEs grade 4 (C) or above including maths and English; some want a level 3 qualification
- Strong interest in how systems are attacked and defended
- You must pass background checks; some roles need security clearance
- Home lab or CTF experience impresses at interview
Where it leads
- Level 6 cyber security degree apprenticeship
- Certifications such as Security+, BTL1, or offensive security paths
- SOC analyst tiers 2 and 3, then incident response
- Penetration testing, threat intelligence or security architecture
Where to train for this
16 colleges and training providers on our list cover Cyber Security Technician training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.