Software Development Technician
Course details
Level
Level 3
Duration
13 months
One-to-one support
Every 4 weeks
You will achieve
Level 3 Software Development Technician
BCS
Common job roles
- Software Development Technician
- Junior Application Support Analyst
- Junior Application Developer
- Junior Mobile App Developer
- Junior Software Developer
- Junior Games Developer
- Junior Web Developer
- Junior Programmer
Roles you may progress into
- Application Support Analyst
- Application Developer
- Mobile App Developer
- Software Developer
- Games Developer
- Web Developer
Delivery of programme
Phase one
Pre-Induction
Before your induction, a member of Estio’s Apprenticeship Onboarding team will contact you and your employer representative to discuss your job role and the apprenticeship standard. During this initial consultation, you will also begin your personalised Vocational Scorecard, which assesses your current skill levels against the apprenticeship standard.
The scorecard ensures we fully understand your starting point, so that we can work with your employer to develop an individual learning plan that is tailored to your needs, and gives you the best opportunity to achieve at the highest level.
Induction
Your induction will take place within the first two weeks of starting your employment and will be facilitated by the Onboarding team at your nearest Estio training centre. You will go through an overview of your chosen apprenticeship programme and be given details of what dedicated support is in place for you throughout your learning journey. In addition, you will receive login details for our Virtual Learning Environment, which you will use to complete both mandatory and optional training modules as part of your programme. Any outstanding diagnostic assessments and enrolment documents will be completed, and you can ask any last questions you may have before you formally begin your training.
Functional skills
We use BKSB tests to determine your current level of knowledge, to assess if you need further support with English and/or Maths.
If you do, our Functional Skills Training team will work with you to supply these skills. You will be supported through remote training sessions and workshops, which run for 3 days (for each).
Once you feel comfortable, you can sit the Level 2 Maths and/or English exams. These qualifications are equivalent to an A* – C (4-9) grade at GCSE, they are fully certified by City & Guilds and can be used to further enhance your CV and skillset.
Phase two
Modules
Training and delivery
5 days – Distance (VLE)
What you will learn
- Installing Visual Studio
- Visual Studio Interface
- The structure of a C# program
- C# Syntax
- Classes
- Variables
- Methods
- Data types
- Method return types
Training and delivery
Part 1 – 3 days (Remote)
Part 2 – 3 days (Classroom)
What you will learn
- The business context and market environment for software development
- How to recognise that there are different methodologies that can be used for software development
- The roles within the software development team
- The structure of software applications and the particular context for the development platform (whether web, mobile, or desktop applications)
- All stages of the software development lifecycle
- Different types of testing
- How to test code
- The role of configuration management and version control systems and how to apply them
Training and delivery
3 days (Remote)
What you will learn
- The theory of User Interface (UI) design, why the design phase is so important and the implications and ramifications when effective design is not achieved
- Designing websites using Adobe Xd
- Designing desktop applications using Visual Studio
Training and delivery
Part 1 – 2 days (Distance – VLE)
Part 2 – 3 days (Classroom)
Part 3 – 3 days (Classroom)
Part 4 – 3 days (Classroom)
What you will learn
- Understand Java fundamentals including use of main, performing basic input and output using standard packages, print statements, import and the scanner class
- Data types including byte, char, int, double, short, long, float and boolean
- Constructing code that manipulates strings
- Constructing and evaluating code that creates, iterates and manipulates arrays and array lists
- Constructing and evaluating code that performs parsing, casting and conversion
- Constructing and evaluating arithmetic expressions
- Constructing and evaluating code that uses branching statements such as if, else, else if, switch, nesting logical and relational operators
- Construct and evaluate code what uses loops such as while, for, for each, do while, break and continue, nesting, logical, relational and unary operators
- Construct and evaluate class definitions
- Declare, implement and access data members in a class
- Declare, implement and access methods.
- Instantiate and use class objects in a program
- Troubleshoot syntax errors, logic errors and runtime errors, such as print statement debugging, output from the java command, analysing code for logic errors, console exceptions and evaluating a stack trace
- Implement exception handling including try catch, exception class, exception class types and display exception information
Training and delivery
Part 1 – 3 days (Remote)
Part 2 – 3 days (Remote)
Part 3 – 3 days (Classroom)
What you will learn
- How to implement code, following a logical approach
- How code integrates into the wider project
- How to follow a set of functional and nonfunctional requirements
- The end-user context for the software development activity
- The importance of seamlessly connecting applications to databases and understand types of data storage and their applications
- How to demonstrate knowledge of database normalisation
- Why there is a need to follow good coding practices
- The principles of good interface design
- The importance of building security in to software at the development stage
One-to-one support
You will have a Technical Specialist and a Progress Management Co-ordinator (PMC) assigned to support you throughout your apprenticeship.
Your PMC will contact you every 4 weeks to discuss your progress made to date, check you’re understanding your training modules, and support you with gathering evidence for your portfolio. Every 12 weeks a review meeting will take place between you, your employer representative and your PMC to assess how your new learning and skills development is being applied in your job role and its impact on your wider industry skills.
The Technical Specialist will work with you to develop your portfolio of evidence for End Point Assessment, and with your employer representative to agree the various workplace projects you will be required to undertake. They will also support your employer representative to complete your Employer Reference, a document which highlights key behaviours you have demonstrated for the final assessment as part of the End Point Assessment.
In every one-to-one session, we will agree actions and SMART targets for you to complete, so that you can progress confidently and with the right support.
Your portfolio
Throughout the apprenticeship, you will contribute evidence towards your online e-portfolio. We use e-portfolios as they are accessible from anywhere, and enable you to track your progress throughout your apprenticeship.
You’ll have access to your personal dashboard, which shows you a number of key milestones and deadlines coming up, such as the training you have completed, work that is due, and any gaps in your portfolio of evidence.
Your Technical Specialist and Progress Management Co-ordinator will be available to contact at any point throughout the apprenticeship and will advise you how to provide the best evidence.
Off-the-job training
Off-the-job (OTJ) training is comprised of, but not limited to activities such as: training with Estio, shadowing, journal entries and projects for e-portfolio. Completed within working hours as agreed with the employer but average at 6 hours per week (20% of your time on your apprenticeship).
You can track your OTJ progress on your e-portfolio.
Phase three
Assessment Gateway, preparation & administration week
The Gateway week is used to finetune your skills and offer a simulated Synoptic Project for systems familiarisation, and to ensure that your Summative Portfolio and Employer Reference are completed before entering into EPA.
Phase four
End Point Assessment
Learners are assessed by an End Point Assessment Organisation, chosen by the Employer. Included in EPA is Evidence Submission (portfolio & certificates), Employer Reference, Synoptic Project and an Interview.
The Independent Assessor will feedback the results (Pass, Merit or Distinction) and the ESFA will provide your certificate.
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Where can this apprenticeship take you?
The Software Development Technician apprenticeship gives you the skills and experience to work in a range of roles, including Software Development Technician, Junior Developer, Junior Web Developer, Junior Application Developer, Junior Mobile App Developer, Junior Games Developer, Junior Software Developer, Junior Application Support Analyst, Junior Programmer, Assistant Programmer and Automated Test Developer.
You will be well positioned after completing this apprenticeship to stay in your role, and progress within your specialism.
If you wish to further your education in this area, you can progress on to our Level 4 Software Developer apprenticeship, or specialise in becoming a Software Tester with our Level 4 Software Tester apprenticeship.
Software Developer roles
Web Developer, Application Developer, Mobile App Developer, Games Developer, Software Developer.
Software Tester roles
Software Tester, Software Test Analyst
Current vacancies
Get in touch!
Call our team on 01133 500 333 or fill out our enquiry form below