Software Developer
4LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
- Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Level 6
- T-Level: Digital Production, Design & Development Level 3
- BTEC National in Computing Level 3
923 STANDARDS · 4,522 LIVE VACANCIES · 8 QUALIFICATION LEVELS
Vocational, decoded
T Levels, BTECs, HNCs and HNDs, apprenticeships and NVQs. What each one actually is, which level it sits at, and where the real listings live. No ranking of routes, no pitch, and no number on this page that we cannot show you the source of.
Five routes, plainly
Every vocational qualification in England is one of these five, or a variation on one. They are not a ladder from worst to best: they are different shapes, and they overlap. Plenty of people do two of them.
T-Levels
Level 3 · 2 years · AGE 16 to 19One technical subject over two years, designed with employers, with an industry placement written into the course. Sits at the same level as three A levels and carries UCAS points.
- Complete a 45-day industry placement with a real employer
- Study technical knowledge and practical skills together
- Earn UCAS points to enter university or Higher Apprenticeships
BTECs
Level 1 to 5 · 1 to 2 years · AGE 14 to 19 (and adult learners)Coursework and project based qualifications, taken at school or college, from a single subject alongside A levels to a full programme. They have been running for decades and stack from entry level up to HND.
- Complete practical assignments, projects and coursework
- Specialise: Business, Engineering, IT, Health, Sport, Art, Media
- Stack up qualifications from Entry Level to HND
HNCs / HNDs
Level 4 to 5 · 1 year (HNC) / 2 years (HND) · AGE 18+Higher National Certificates and Diplomas, taught mostly by further education colleges. An HNC is the first year of degree level study, an HND is the first two, and both can top up to a full degree.
- Study engineering, computing, business, or creative subjects
- Gain work-ready skills through employer-linked projects
- Top up to a full degree with just one extra year
Apprenticeships
Level 2 to 7 · 12 months to 5 years · AGE 16+ (no upper age limit)A real job with formal training attached. You are an employee from day one, on a wage, with part of your paid time set aside for study, and you finish with a recognised qualification.
- Work for a real employer, earning National Minimum Wage or above
- Spend 20% of time in off-the-job training (college, online, mentoring)
- End Point Assessment to achieve your formal qualification
NVQs
Level 1 to 5 · 3 months to 2 years · AGE 16+ (any age in work)Competence assessed in your actual workplace rather than in an exam hall. Long used in construction, care, engineering, hair and beauty, and childcare, at any age, while you work.
- Build a portfolio of evidence from your real workplace
- Be observed by an assessor demonstrating actual tasks
- Earn recognised professional status alongside your job
The level decoder
Every UK qualification sits at one of eight levels, and the level is the only thing that makes two different qualifications comparable. A T Level and three A levels are both Level 3. A degree apprenticeship and a bachelor degree are both Level 6. The right hand column is the real number of apprenticeship standards we hold at that level, counted from the library, not estimated.
L1Below GCSEFoundation Learning, Level 1 Award, Level 1 Certificateno standards here
L3A-Level / T-LevelA-Level, T-Level, BTEC National, Advanced Apprenticeship, Access to HE304 standards →
L4HNC / Year 1 DegreeHNC, Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), Higher Apprenticeship, Level 4 Award140 standards →
L5HND / Foundation DegreeHND, Foundation Degree (FdA/FdSc), Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)62 standards →
L6Bachelor's DegreeBA / BSc / BEng, Degree Apprenticeship, Graduate Apprenticeship, NVQ Level 6139 standards →
L7Master's DegreeMA / MSc / MBA, Postgraduate Diploma, Master's Degree Apprenticeship, PGCE83 standards →
L8Doctorate (PhD/DPhil)PhD / DPhil, Professional Doctorate, Specialist Awardno standards here
Levels 1 and 8 show no standards because apprenticeship standards start at Level 2 and stop at Level 7. That is an honest zero, not missing data. Level 3 is the busiest rung on the ladder and the one most school leavers are choosing between: see all four Level 3 routes together.
The 16 T Level subjects
One subject, two years, a placement of roughly 45 days built into the course, and the same Level 3 standing as three A levels. Each subject below lists the roles it is aimed at, and every role opens as a career card with the measured number for what AI is used for in that job today. Which subjects your local colleges actually run is on their own sites, and it varies a lot by area.
Construction: On-Site (Building Services)
- ElectricianCARD
- PlumberCARD
- Mechanical Engineer (Building)CARD
Engineering and Manufacturing (Processing and Control)
- Process EngineerCARD
- Quality TechnicianCARD
- Plant OperatorCARD
The subject heading searches the apprenticeship library for related standards, because most T Level subjects have an apprenticeship equivalent at the same level or one above. A card search can come back empty: our career library is built on official occupation titles, which do not always use the same words a college does.
Three routes to the same level
A levels then university, a degree apprenticeship, or a T Level then a higher apprenticeship. All three can end at Level 6. They differ in who pays, whether you are earning on the way, and how you apply.
| How it works | A levels then university | Degree apprenticeship | T Level then higher apprenticeship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays the tuition | You do, usually through a student loan | The employer and the government | Publicly funded to 18, then the employer |
| Paid while you study | No | Yes, a wage from day one | Not during the T Level, yes once you start the job |
| Where you apply | UCAS | Direct to the employer, one vacancy at a time | Your college, then the employer |
| Level you finish at | Level 6, a bachelor degree | Level 6 or Level 7, degree or master | Level 3, then Level 4 to 6 if you carry on |
| Work experience built in | Whatever you arrange yourself | The job is the course | About 45 days on placement, then the job |
| What we can show you here | Course cards with real graduate destinations | Every standard, plus live vacancies | The level 3 door and the subject list below |
No salary rows, and no case studies
An earlier version of this page compared pay at 21 and at 25 across these three routes, and told the stories of four named apprentices. We hold no source that follows the same people down all three routes, and we have no verified interviews, so both are gone rather than guessed. What we do hold is the live board: 4,522 real vacancies with the employer and the advertised wage on every listing. For pay by career, each card carries its own published starting pay.
Careers, and the vocational way in
Eight jobs people ask about most, with the routes that reach them. The number on each card is how many listings on the national board match that job right now, and the link shows you exactly the listings that were counted.
All eightSoftware DeveloperNurse / Nursing AssociateChartered AccountantElectricianChef / Culinary ProfessionalCivil / Structural EngineerTeacher / Early Years EducatorHair Stylist / Beauty Therapist
Nurse / Nursing Associate
828LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · NURSE
- Nursing Associate Degree Apprenticeship Level 5
- T-Level in Health Level 3
- NVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care Level 3
Chartered Accountant
8LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
- Accountancy / Taxation Professional Degree Apprenticeship Level 7
- T-Level: Legal, Finance and Accounting Level 3
- BTEC National in Business (Accounting pathway) Level 3
Electrician
8LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · ELECTRICIAN
- Electrical Installation Advanced Apprenticeship Level 3
- T-Level: Construction (Building Services Engineering) Level 3
- NVQ Level 3 in Electrical Installations Level 3
Chef / Culinary Professional
169LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · CHEF
- Commis Chef Apprenticeship Level 2
- T-Level in Catering Level 3
- BTEC National in Hospitality Level 3
Civil / Structural Engineer
36LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · CIVIL
- Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Level 6
- HNC / HND in Civil Engineering Level 4 to 5
- T-Level: Design, Surveying and Planning Level 3
Teacher / Early Years Educator
4LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · TEACHER
- Early Years Educator Apprenticeship Level 3
- T-Level in Education and Early Years Level 3
- Teaching Assistant Higher Apprenticeship Level 4
Hair Stylist / Beauty Therapist
1LIVE LISTINGS MATCHING · HAIR STYLIST
- Hairdressing Professional Apprenticeship Level 2 to 3
- T-Level in Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics Level 3
- NVQ Level 3 in Hairdressing Level 3
Not one of these eight? Search the whole library: every career as a card, or every apprenticeship standard by role and level. Nothing on this site asks you to make an account first.
Straight answers
The six questions this hub gets asked most, answered without the statistics we cannot source.
Do employers actually value these qualifications?
The honest evidence this site can put in front of you is the live board: thousands of apprenticeship vacancies open right now on the national service, every one of them an employer choosing to pay a wage while someone trains. T Levels were built with employers and the industry placement is part of the course, not an extra. We do not print an employment rate here, because we do not hold one we can stand behind.
Can I still go to university afterwards?
Yes. A T Level carries UCAS points and was designed as a route into higher education as well as into work. BTEC Nationals have been accepted for university entry for a long time, though acceptance is course by course, so read the entry requirements on the course page itself rather than trusting a general claim. An HND can usually be topped up to a full degree with one further year.
Is this the route for people who cannot get A levels?
No, and treating it that way is how people end up on the wrong course. These are different shapes of learning, not different tiers of ability. A T Level is one technical subject studied deeply with a placement. An apprenticeship is a job with training attached. A levels are three academic subjects with the choice left open. The useful question is which shape suits you, not which one is harder.
How does apprenticeship pay work?
You are an employee from the first day, with a contract and holiday, and part of your paid hours are set aside for training. Government sets an apprentice minimum rate that rises with age and after your first year, and many employers pay above it. We do not print a rate here because it is reset every April; each listing on the live board states its own wage.
What is the difference between a T Level and a BTEC?
A T Level is one technical subject over two years with roughly 45 days on an industry placement built in, launched in 2020 and designed with employers. BTECs have been running far longer, cover more subjects, and are more flexible: you can take one alongside A levels or as a whole programme. T Level is narrower and deeper, BTEC is broader and more modular.
Higher apprenticeship or degree apprenticeship?
A higher apprenticeship sits at Level 4 or Level 5, which is the first year or two of degree level study. A degree apprenticeship runs to Level 6, a full bachelor degree, or Level 7, a master, and you finish holding the degree itself. Both pay you throughout. The level is printed on every standard in the library.
Where to go from here
Every standard
All 923 UK apprenticeship standards, Level 2 to Level 7, searchable by role, each carrying the measured number for what AI is used for in that job today.
Browse the library →Live vacancies
4,522 openings from the government national Find an apprenticeship service, browsable by role and region. You browse here and apply on the official service.
See what is open →Your Level 3 options
Still choosing what to do after GCSEs? A levels, T Levels, BTECs and Level 3 apprenticeships set out side by side, with the real local options behind each one.
Open the level 3 door →SOURCES ON THIS PAGE. Standards per level and the total are counted live from the apprenticeship library, the same table the standards pages read. Live listing counts come from the national Find an apprenticeship service, snapshot June 2026, and each count links to the exact listings it counted. Route definitions, levels, durations and the T Level subject list are Careermash editorial content, checked against how the qualifications are structured, not measurements. Where a figure was not sourceable it was removed rather than estimated: this page carries no salary comparison, no employment rate and no case studies.