Level 5 Data Engineer Apprenticeship Learners

Drive Real Impact in Your Role

Our students have delivered real business impact.

£1.4m revenue identified through data-driven insights

£120,000 saved by creating efficiencies

90% shorter project times achieved through automations

5 x faster ML model training achieved through automations

Lead the Data-Driven Transformation

The UK’s Data & AI training specialists and winners of the CogX Best AI Course of 2023 Award, Cambridge Spark have supported the career progression of 5,000+ Data professionals.

Our Data Engineering Apprenticeship empowers you to:

Understand the data engineering lifecycle and data modelling
Create and maintain data analytics pipelines to deliver valuable insights
Maximise the value of business data
Build the core technical and leadership skills that deliver support the data-driven transformation of your organisation.

Eligibility

Suitability of role

Looking to develop skills in Python, SQL, data modelling approaches, software testing, git, CI/CD and DevOps mindset
Pursuing a junior data engineering role

Eligibility for funding

No prior equivalent data training or related experience
Employed in England and resident in the UK or EEA for the last 3 years
Employees working at least 30 hours a week (part-time employees can be considered for a minimum cohort size)
Can commit to the minimum 6 hours a week off the job learning requirement for the duration of the programme (14 months of training)

What makes our programme special

We deliver all of our programmes online, helping our clients offer flexible and inclusive programmes open to all of their staff. EDUKATE.AI, our online learning platform, gives learners a sandbox environment to practice their skills, providing them with immediate feedback on industry-simulated assignments. We believe that the gold standard for online delivery is to offer a mix of experiential learning, coaching, technical mentorship and peer support.

Real-World Practice for Accelerated Impact

EDUKATE.AI provides a sandbox environment where learners can practice new skills on real assignments. This accelerates the impact that learners can make in their workplace, allowing them to immediately apply what they've learned.

EDUKATE.AI

Our online learning platform offers apprentices a seamless learning experience with in-browser access to their slides, workshop recordings, quizzes and practical assignments. Immediate feedback enables apprentices to gauge their progress effectively.

Expert Curriculum

Our curriculum develops the skills to thrive in a data-driven organisation. The programme teaches the latest concepts and tools essential to build and manage critical data infrastructure.

Personalised Learner Support

We provide each learner with a dedicated Data Mentor and Learner Success Coach to support them on their technical and personal development. This personalised support structure helps learners to succeed and overcome obstacles they encounter.

Flexible Fully Online Learning

Our programme is fully online, providing maximum flexibility for learners and employers alike. This means that learners can access their content from anywhere, with no set up or installation of EDUKATE.AI required.

Community

Joining our programme means becoming part of a thriving community of thousands of data professionals. Learners have the opportunity to tap into this rich network of peers and alumni and benefit from the expertise and experience of others in the field.

What Will I Learn?

Your apprenticeship is designed by industry-leading Data Scientists and academics from the world’s best Universities. Course content and workshops are continuously updated to incorporate the very latest skills, techniques and emerging technologies, ideally positioning you for immediate impact at work.

The full Level 5 Data Engineer Apprenticeship includes the below core modules for everything you need to succeed. Your training can be tailored to suit your needs, with shorter flexible courses fitting around your schedule/workload, and skills gap analysis from our Data & AI experts to plan your career path.

Alongside your technical training, you’ll get the chance to join guest talks from leading technology providers like Google Cloud Platform and Databricks. Our recent Industry Insights sessions included:

Pete Williams - Director of Data at Penguin Random House UK
Lilian Pswarayi - Head of Commercial Analytics and Reporting at TUI
John Short - Head of Data at Lloyds of London
Liz Sapey - Acute and Respiratory Medicine Consultant at University of Birmingham
McKinley Hyden - Director of Data Value & Strategy at Financial Times.

The curriculum

Core Modules

Python for Data Engineering

Understand Python syntax and data structures and gain familiarity with programming in Python and data processing and cleaning with Pandas. Understand version control with Git, from command-line basics to handling conflicts, merge requests, and code reviews. And get hands-on experience with software testing using unittests in Python and the pytest library.

Data Engineering Concepts

Learn more about what is meant by data engineering and how it is used in organisations.

Gain insights into the diverse roles that interact with data engineers and understand their collaborative interactions.

Databases, SQL and NoSQL

Learn the fundamentals of SQL, from connecting to SQLite databases and performing basic queries to advanced topics like subqueries, joins, and optimising queries with indexes.

Explore NoSQL databases, understand their pros and cons, and work with real-world examples, gaining practical experience with tools like DBeaver, SQLAlchemy, and BigQuery to connect and manipulate data in diverse SQL environments.

Data Modelling

This module covers the reasons why data modelling is important and the various techniques that can be used to model your data efficiently.

DevOps and Containerisation

Explore the Software Development Lifecycle and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment processes, gaining an understanding of containerisation with an introduction to Docker.

Gain an understanding of deploying container-based applications using Kubernetes and learn Infrastructure as Code (IaaC) principles, implementing them with Terraform for efficient infrastructure management.

Data Quality, Governance and Ethics

This module offers a comprehensive exploration of data quality, encompassing aspects such as accuracy, completeness, consistency, and timeliness.

It also addresses critical topics in data governance, including compliance with privacy and security regulations, ethical considerations, and the implementation of best practices to ensure data quality and ethical data handling while minimising environmental impact.

Data Pipelines and Automation

This module introduces the essential concepts of data pipelines and workflow orchestration, followed by hands-on experience in building, monitoring, and scaling data pipelines using Python and tools like Airflow and Luigi.

It also covers configuring data access, managing permissions, incident management, and optimisation techniques to ensure efficient and reliable data processing within pipelines.

Data Product Design

Learn how to analyse user and business requirements for data products, design scalable and secure solutions, and effectively document your technical processes.

Data Product Implementation

Explore the lifecycle of data product implementation, covering prototyping and implementation using Python, rigorous testing and debugging processes, and various approaches to deploying data products effectively in real-world scenarios.

Advanced Data Engineering Techniques

Understand real-time data streaming and advanced integration techniques, learning best practices for data security and access control.

Explore strategies for optimising performance and scalability in data engineering within a cloud computing environment while considering vendor-agnostic principles and evaluating various data storage and computing options.

Emerging Trends and Technologies

Explore the latest trends and emerging technologies in data engineering, focusing on optimising data products and leveraging advancements in data science.

Learn strategies for ensuring business continuity through robust data provision, while emphasising the importance of continuous improvement to stay abreast of rapid technological developments.

FAQs

What delivery options do you offer?

We tailor our delivery to your needs. This ranges from from independent, immersive elearning supported by EDUKATE.AI through to tailored bootcamps, to our structured apprenticeship programmes. The Level 5 Data Engineer Apprenticeship is available to learners based in England.

Are you able to tailor the programme to the organisation and sector?

Yes. We work with employers to contextualise our programmes to their organisation and sectors they operate in. We do this through tailored hackathons, bespoke assignments and guest lectures from industry experts. We also work with a range of partners to create bespoke programmes for sector, such as health and journalism.

What is an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships are a long-term training commitment which seek to support people entering the workforce and upskill existing UK-based employees within an organisation, to advance their skills and careers.

The Cambridge Spark Data Engineer Apprenticeship runs 14 months plus a 3-month end-point assessment and includes a minimum of 6 hours per week off-the-job training, enabling a blended approach between theory and practical-learning.

What is the Apprenticeship Levy?

The UK government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy scheme in April 2017 as a way to drive investment in strengthening the country’s skills base.

All organisations with annual staff costs of over £3m have to pay 0.5% of their salary bill into a ring-fenced apprenticeship levy pot. The money is collected monthly via PAYE and can only be used for training on approved apprenticeship schemes (such as the Level 5 Data Engineer Apprenticeship that we offer). Organisations must forfeit any levy funding left unspent for 24 months or more.

What if my organisation doesn't pay into the UK Apprenticeship Levy?

An organisation that doesn't pay into the levy can still qualify for government-funded apprenticeships for their staff. In fact, the UK government will sponsor 95% of the apprenticeship programme, leaving the organisation to invest the remaining 5%, provided that learners meet other eligibility criteria.

What does "off-the-job training" mean?

Off-the-job training is defined as learning undertaken outside of the day-to-day work duties and during the apprentice’s normal working hours.

Our off-the-job training is delivered on a flexible basis and can be carried out at the apprentice’s place of work or home.

The 6 hours per week, minimum, off-the-job training provides learners with the time to focus and develop the required skills, knowledge and behaviours to complete the programme.

How much do managers need to be involved?

Managers will need to ensure apprentices achieve their planned off-the-job training hours and work on their project portfolio.

We also encourage managers to have regular one-to-one meetings with apprentices to catch up on how they are progressing and to join the apprentice and their coach for 30 minutes every 3-4 months for a general catch up about the programme.

Who's benefitted from our data apprenticeships

Why we’re the education technology training partner of choice.

Case study

Building AI capability in media and broadcasting with AI apprenticeships

Case study

Data Analyst Apprentice identifies £30k of savings for GSK

Case study

Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) Training for Deloitte

Case study

Developing Python Programming Skills Within the NHS

View all our case studies

Data Engineer Apprenticeship (Level 5)

Drive Real Impact in Your Role

Lead the Data-Driven Transformation

Eligibility

Suitability of role

Eligibility for funding

What makes our programme special

Real-World Practice for Accelerated Impact

EDUKATE.AI

Expert Curriculum

Personalised Learner Support

Flexible Fully Online Learning

Community

A real-world learning experience

What Will I Learn?

The curriculum

Core Modules

FAQs

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Who's benefitted from our data apprenticeships

Case study

Case study

Case study

Case study