Summary
The Apprentice will be based in the Nuclear Physics Group (NPG) in Daresbury Laboratory. The NPG provides mechanical, electronic, and software engineering expertise to support the UK’s nuclear physics research programme. We design, build and operate custom-made measurement instruments which are then deployed at research facilities around the world.
Annual wage
£23,186 a year
Incremental salary, increases each year of the apprenticeship
Training course
Digital and technology solutions professional (level 6)
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
37 hours a week
Possible start date
Monday 1 September
Duration
4 years
Positions available
1
Work
As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.
What you’ll do at work
Duties of the apprentice will include:
IT Support for the nuclear physics computer network including:
* Installation of operating systems and computer software.
* Management of websites.
* Documentation of IT procedures.
* Linux system and computer network administration.
Software engineering projects including:
* Building browser-based user interfaces using the Python programming language and HTML.
* Writing code to perform data analysis tasks in support of our research.
* Designing and building software interfaces to custom electronic devices using the C programming language.
Working with nuclear physicists to understand their requirements.
Where you’ll work
Daresbury Laboratory
Keckwick Lane
Daresbury
Warrington
WA4 4AD
Training
An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.
College or training organisation
MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Your training course
Digital and technology solutions professional (level 6)
Equal to degree
Course contents
* Analyse a business problem to identify the role of digital and technology solutions.
* Identify risks, determine mitigation strategies and opportunities for improvement in a digital and technology solutions project.
* Analyse a business problem in order to specify an appropriate digital and technology solution.
* Initiate, design, code, test and debug a software component for a digital and technology solution.
* Apply relevant standard processes, methods, techniques and tools. For example, ISO Standards, Waterfall, Agile in a digital and technology solution project.
* Manage digital and technology solutions projects. For example, identifying and resolving deviations from specification, applying appropriate Project Management methodologies.
* Work effectively within teams, leading on appropriate digital technology solution activities.
* Apply relevant organisational theories. For example, change management principles, marketing approaches, strategic practice, and IT service management to a digital and technology solutions project.
* Apply relevant security and resilience techniques to a digital and technology solution. For example, risk assessments, mitigation strategies.
* Initiate, design, implement and debug a data product for a digital and technology solution.
* Determine and use appropriate data analysis techniques. For example, Text, Statistical, Diagnostic or Predictive Analysis to assess a digital and technology solutions.
* Plan, design and manage simple computer networks with an overall focus on the services and capabilities that network infrastructure solutions enable in an organisational context.
* Report effectively to colleagues and stakeholders using the appropriate language and style, to meet the needs of the audience concerned.
* Research, investigate, and evaluate innovative technologies or approaches in the development of a digital and technology solution.
* Apply relevant legal, ethical, social and professional standards to a digital and technology solution.
* Identify and define software engineering problems that are non-routine and incompletely specified.
* Provide recommendations as to the most appropriate software engineering solution.
* Use appropriate analysis methods, approaches and techniques in software engineering projects to deliver an outcome that meets requirements.
* Implement software engineering projects using appropriate software engineering methods, approaches and techniques.
* Respond to changing priorities and problems arising within software engineering projects by making revised recommendations, and adapting plans as necessary, to fit the scenario being investigated.
* Determine, refine, adapt and use appropriate software engineering methods, approaches and techniques to evaluate software engineering project outcomes.
* Evaluate learning points arising from software engineering work undertaken on a project including use of methods, analysis undertaken, selection of approach and the outcome achieved, in order to identify both lessons learnt and recommendations for improvements to future projects.
* Extend and update software development knowledge with evidence from professional and academic sources by undertaking appropriate research to inform best practice and lead improvements in the organisation.
* Analyse client needs and determine how to advise them strategically through improved business processes, new ideas, or technology solutions.
* Effectively communicate value add to the client through a variety of media. For example, presentations, written reports, Storytelling in a professional setting through performing socio-technical process improvements in a range of environments.
* Make evidence based recommendations taking into account risks, costs, and benefits.
* Participate in walk-throughs for Information Technologies, to identify, document and evaluate key risks within a client’s organisation.
* Perform stakeholder analysis to identify, determine and deepen understanding of system requirements and develop client relationships.
* Effect change within an organisation through evaluation of a new system, process or initiative.
* Ensure legal and ethical requirements are accommodated in the development of digital and technology solutions.
* Evaluate the success of new systems, processes, or initiatives.
* Use requirements elicitation, analysis and documentation to produce an acceptable solution for business problems or further opportunities.
* Conduct Process Analysis, Definition, Mapping and Modelling within a business situation without supervision.
* Produce Use Cases which are of value to all stakeholders of a system.
* Use tools and benchmarking to support modelling and requirements gathering and recommend approaches to team members as required.
* Produce a business case to scope a proposed project including business benefits and recommendations.
* Use products of analysis in the design and development of a system.
* Evaluate the impacts of model selection and how they inter-relate with each other when generating business analytics.
* Recommend and use appropriate software tools to implement Business Analysis tasks and outcomes.
* Discover, identify and analyse security threats, attack techniques and vulnerabilities and recommend mitigation and security controls.
* Undertake security risk assessments for complex systems without direct supervision and propose a remediation strategy relevant to the context of the organisation.
* Recommend improvements to the cyber security approaches of an organisation based on research into future potential cyber threats and considering threat trends.
* Manage cyber security risk.
* Use appropriate cyber security technology, tools and techniques in relation to the risks identified.
* Lead cyber security awareness campaigns and evaluate their effectiveness.
* Analyse cyber security requirements against other design requirements for systems or products, identify conflicting requirements and recommend appropriate solutions with clear explanation of costs and benefits.
* Lead the design and build of systems in accordance with a security case to address organisational challenges.
* Define Data Requirements and perform Data Collection, Data Processing and Data Cleansing.
* Apply different types of Data Analysis, as appropriate, to drive improvements for specific business problems.
* Find, present, communicate and disseminate data analysis outputs effectively and with high impact through creative storytelling, tailoring the message for the audience. Visualise data to tell compelling and actionable narratives by using the best medium for each audience, such as charts, graphs and dashboards.
* Identify barriers to effective analysis encountered both by analysts and their stakeholders within data analysis projects.
* Apply a range of techniques for analysing quantitative data such as data mining, time series forecasting, algorithms, statistics and modelling techniques to identify and predict trends and patterns in data.
* Apply exploratory or confirmatory approaches to analysing data. Validate and and test stability of the results.
* Extract data from a range of sources. For example, databases, web services, open data.
* Analyse in detail large data sets, using a range of industry standard tools and data analysis methods.
* Identify and collate stakeholder needs in relation to computer network requirements, plans and designs.
* Plan, design, document, and develop the relevant elements of a computer network within an organisation or between organisations, taking into account customer requirements (performance, scale), constraints (budget, equipment availability), and define policies for their use.
* Monitor performance and ensure networks are configured correctly and perform as expected by designers or architects. Undertake capacity management and audit of IP addressing and hosted devices.
* Investigate, troubleshoot and resolve data network faults in local and wide area environments, using information from multiple sources, Physically or Remotely by console connection. Recommend and implement short term fixes to restore service and, or, quality of experience and recommend longer term changes to prevent recurrence or reduce impact of future occurrences.
* Implement computer networks from a design including testing and validation. This includes populating variables in configurations, for example, IP addresses and subsequent application of configuration to equipment such as routers, switches, firewalls.
* Secure network systems by establishing and enforcing policies, and defining and monitoring access. Support and administer firewall environments in line with IT security policy.
* Research and evaluate emerging network technologies and assess relevance to current network requirements. Provide an objective opinion on how new features and technologies may be incorporated as required by the organisation.
* Investigate security concerns or attacks. For example, Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS), port scanning, assessing key metrics and indicators, evidencing the chosen steps to mitigate.
* Analyse a business problem to identify the role of digital and technology solutions.
* Identify risks, determine mitigation strategies and opportunities for improvement in a digital and technology solutions project.
* Analyse a business problem in order to specify an appropriate digital and technology solution.
* Initiate, design, code, test and debug a software component for a digital and technology solution.
* Apply relevant standard processes, methods, techniques and tools. For example, ISO Standards, Waterfall, Agile in a digital and technology solution project.
* Manage digital and technology solutions projects. For example, identifying and resolving deviations from specification, applying appropriate Project Management methodologies.
* Work effectively within teams, leading on appropriate digital technology solution activities.
* Apply relevant organisational theories. For example, change management principles, marketing approaches, strategic practice, and IT service management to a digital and technology solutions project.
* Apply relevant security and resilience techniques to a digital and technology solution. For example, risk assessments, mitigation strategies.
* Initiate, design, implement and debug a data product for a digital and technology solution.
* Determine and use appropriate data analysis techniques. For example, Text, Statistical, Diagnostic or Predictive Analysis to assess a digital and technology solutions.
* Plan, design and manage simple computer networks with an overall focus on the services and capabilities that network infrastructure solutions enable in an organisational context.
* Report effectively to colleagues and stakeholders using the appropriate language and style, to meet the needs of the audience concerned.
* Research, investigate, and evaluate innovative technologies or approaches in the development of a digital and technology solution.
* Apply relevant legal, ethical, social and professional standards to a digital and technology solution.
Your training plan
You will undertake professional development and training through a mix of day-release and block teaching with Manchester Metropolitan University completing the Digital Technology Solutions Professional Apprenticeship – Software Engineering.
The modules you will complete will be a combination of general computing principles applicable to all occupational areas, with specialist units focused on the requirements of developing competencies in a Software Engineering role.
For more information visit:
In your final year, you will also complete your work-based project before undertaking your End Point Assessment which will include a presentation between the university and STFC, covering the work-based project, your approach, outcome and the skills, knowledge and behaviours demonstrated. This will be assessed as part of the overall project assessment.
You will be supported in developing a portfolio of work-based projects to build and demonstrate the required skills, behaviours and knowledge required for this apprenticeship.
The qualifications you will achieve are:
* BSc (Hons) in Digital & Technology Solutions
* Level 6 Digital & Technology Solutions Professional
For more information about the apprenticeship standard, please visit the IfATE website:
More training information
With training and support from experts in their fields, you’ll be enthusiastic about developing your knowledge, skills and behaviours, working towards completing your apprenticeship, gaining appropriate qualifications whilst making a real difference in your role.
If working with innovative technologies on world-leading research isn’t enough, you will develop both professionally and as a critical member of the team in an environment you won’t find anywhere else.
Our dedicated Apprenticeship Team will support you every step of the way, helping you make the most of your opportunities and to achieve the goals you already have – and those you have yet to discover!
We provide an opportunity to really pursue your interests and passion. You’ll have access to additional core skills development, access to a community of apprentices across the site, annual Apprentice awards evenings, a number of active sport and social groups across campus, and potential opportunities for overseas placements.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
* English (grade Grade C/4)
* Maths (grade Grade C/4)
A Level in:
* Maths (grade 104 UCAS points at A level)
Desirable qualifications
A Level in:
* Physics (grade 104 UCAS points at A level)
Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.
Skills
* Communication skills
* IT skills
* Team working
* Any programming language
* Ability to work independently
* Interest in physics