There are many excellent apprenticeship opportunities in the UK, and their availability should continue to increase because of the UK skills gap. The apprenticeships that pay the best tend to correlate to the job roles that offer the best pay rates.
In terms of the amount of money that apprentices can earn whilst undertaking them, there are some obvious candidates for the highest-paid apprenticeships in the UK, and we have looked at a few below.
Highest Paying UK Apprenticeships 2023
Cyber Security Technologist – Level 4 – £27,000pa via UK Civil Service
It shouldn’t be a surprise that in times of international uncertainty and strife, the UK Civil Service is recruiting Cyber Security apprentices and is offering them somewhere between £23,850 – £27,000 per annum. This is an excellent salary for an apprenticeship and it really emphasises the importance that is currently being placed on cyber security by governments all around the world.
The apprenticeship standard typically takes 24 months to complete, not including the End Point Assessment, and is the usual mixture of 80% on-the-job training and 20% off-the-job training, with apprentices being paid for both parts.
As part of this apprenticeship, you will learn how to identify and combat cyber security threats and protect the organisation that you are working for. You will learn advanced encryption and decryption as well as skills like digital forensics. Earning well and keeping the UK safe from exterior cyber threats. It doesn’t get much better than doing your patriotic duty and being paid handsomely for it.
Software Development Tehnician – £20,000pa + £3k Signing-on – BP
One of the most famous companies in the UK, BP are offering one of the best apprenticeship rates, and are offering a golden handshake on top of that world £3,000. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see the petrochemical industry paying top dollar. They have generally been an incredibly profitable sector over the last 30 years or so and that hasn’t been managed by standing still.
As a software development apprentice at BP for two years, you will be asked to write complex software, test it and ultimately deploy it once it has gone through the review and quality assurance rounds. This is a job with a lot of responsibility and it is reflected in the amount of money that is being offered in order to find the right person for the role.
As with the other apprenticeships, 80% of your time will be spent in on-the-job training and 20% will be spent on off-the-job training, learning the technical aspects of the job role so that you can execute it to a high standard.
BP are giants in their industry and we would expect them to be prepared to pay a decent amount of money to their apprentices. They aspire to be a company leading the way in many areas, so being able to pay apprentices the kind of money they are offering ensures they are leaders in the apprenticeship space as well.
Professional Accounting – Level 4 – £23,000pa – Tesco
The Higher level Professional Accounting apprenticeship being offered by Tesco is most likely aimed at filling one of the skills gaps that they are experiencing, as part of the wider UK skills gap problem. Offering very competitive pay and the chance to go on to a further 3 years of study afterward, this two year apprenticeship with one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains is an excellent opportunity for the right young person.
The ability to learn the necessary financial skills such as drafting and reviewing accounts and double-entry bookkeeping will help you to take the next steps forward in your career. The expert knowledge that you can gain of the business taxation system in the UK will prove invaluable when looking after your career progression in future.
All apprenticeship standards in the UK have an on-the-job component and an off-the-job component, with the first portion taking up 80% of the apprentice’s time and the second taking up the remaining 20%.
Tesco is a company that has also dabbled in the banking arena, so they understand the importance of having the right people handling the finances. Being able to offer such a lucrative wage to an apprentice is an indication that they are looking for only the best candidates and that they will be a valued member of the team. As the slogan goes, “Every little helps!”
Counter Fraud Investigator – Level 4 – £22,000pa – Santander
Santander is one of the biggest names in banking in the UK and Europe and they are taking on apprentices to help to investigate fraudulent activities. Many of these will lead to criminal investigations and people having their day in court. This is very valuable work and it is great to see Santander appreciates the importance of taking fraud seriously. It impacts their business but it also impacts the lives of thousands, if not millions of people who are affected by it every year.
Santander is a significant player in the UK banking industry and it seems that all of the banks are actively recruiting to try to cut down on the losses made to fraudulent activity every year. Every time your bank helps you with a fraudulent transaction, that costs them money as well, so it is in everybody’s interests that they be chased down and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
The apprenticeship is for two years and there are great prospects for the successful apprentice once the apprenticeship is successfully completed. Getting your foot in the door at a company as large as Santander can only be a good thing and could lead to work almost anywhere in the world.
Find an Apprenticeship Today
If you would like to find yourself an apprenticeship today, you can take a look at our dedicated apprenticeship jobs board where we have thousands of apprenticeships that might just be exactly what you are looking for. We can’t promise that they will all pay as well as these ones but you will almost certainly find something that will work for you.
