Apprenticeship · Level 4 · 14 months

Software Developer Level 4 Apprenticeship

14-month Level 4 apprenticeship turning someone into a full-stack software developer. Modern JavaScript, frameworks, deployment, agile delivery. £21,000 levy-funded.

Employer enquiry See open roles

At a glance

Length: 14 months + EPA
Venue: CPD Brighton
Funded value: £21,000
Cost to you: £0

Overview

Our longest apprenticeship at 14 months, the Software Developer Level 4 is for businesses that want to grow their own engineering talent. Apprentices spend Thursdays with us, the rest of the week shipping code at their employer.

The standard is technology-agnostic — apprentices learn the principles (version control, testing, deployment, agile) on the curriculum that drives the EPA, and the specifics of your stack on the job at your employer. We've placed developers into JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, PHP, and .NET shops.

What you leave with

✓Level 4 Software Developer apprenticeship certificate (Pass or Distinction)
✓Public portfolio of real production code shipped to a real codebase
✓Working competence with Git, code review, testing, CI/CD
✓Industry certifications appropriate to your stack
✓14 months of paid work experience in a real engineering team
✓Capacity to operate independently as a junior developer post-apprenticeship

Curriculum

What you cover

Months 1–3

Foundations

Programming fundamentals, version control, command line, debugging. Apprentices ship their first PR in week 2.

Months 4–8

Web fundamentals

HTML, CSS, JavaScript, HTTP. Modern framework (typically React or Vue) introduction.

Months 9–14

Backend & databases

Server-side languages, REST/GraphQL APIs, relational databases, schema design, query performance.

Months 15–18

Testing & deployment

Unit tests, integration tests, CI/CD pipelines, observability. Production responsibility.

Months 19–22

Architecture & patterns

System design, security, performance. AI pair-programming patterns. Code review skills.

Months 23–24

Capstone + EPA

Substantial portfolio project, then independent EPA assessment.

Who it's for

Built for hiring or upskilling

New hires

Bring in fresh digital talent. We recruit and shortlist for you. 6–8 weeks from first call to start date.

Existing employees

Upskill someone already in your team into a substantial new role. Same funding rules apply.

Multi-apprentice plans

Several roles across a year. We help plan recruitment and levy drawdown.

Eligibility

Can you apply?

Apprentice must be 16+ and have right to work in the UK. Role must be substantial — at least 30 hours/week, with genuine new skills development.

Levy payer? Drawn from your levy account. Non-levy? You co-invest 5%, gov covers 95%. We handle the funding admin.

FAQ

Common questions

Do apprentices need to know any code beforehand?

No. We assume zero prior coding experience. Some of our apprentices come in with self-taught HTML/CSS; some come in having never written a line. By month three everyone is at a comparable baseline.

What tech stack do you teach?

We teach principles agnostic of stack. Specifics depend on your business — we ensure apprentices are productive on what you use. JavaScript/React is most common in our cohorts.

How is AI integrated?

Apprentices learn to pair-program with Claude / Copilot from week one. By month nine they're using AI for code review, refactoring, and learning new patterns. We don't teach AI as a separate module — it's embedded throughout.

How does this differ from a coding bootcamp?

Bootcamps are 12 weeks intensive and finish without work experience. This apprenticeship is 14 months of paid work experience plus structured learning. Bootcamps suit some people; apprenticeships suit others. We run a coding bootcamp too if it fits better.

Hire on this apprenticeship

Request a 20-min callback. We walk through funding, role design, and timeline.

Employer enquiry See open roles

Or call us: 01273 232273