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GCHQ

Our mission is to help keep the country safe.

Defence & Aerospace1 apprenticeship type
FollowCareers siteWebsite

GCHQ, the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency, has run degree apprenticeships for school and college leavers, including one in software engineering, as one of several routes in alongside graduate and development schemes. All roles need British citizenship and national security vetting.

Programmes

1 tracked · status for the next intake that is recruiting

Apprenticeship types

1 offered · degree apprenticeships first

  • Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

    Level 6Degree

    Software Engineering · Duration not published

    More about this programme: Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship
    Business areas
    Technology

    Level 6 inferred from 'degree apprenticeship'. The second programme is not named.

    Source for Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

GCHQ does not publish the standard, the qualification, the university or provider or the locations for any of these.

Entry requirements

A levels
Not published
UCAS points
Not published
GCSEs
Not published
Equivalents
Not published
Other
Must be over 18 (can apply from 17, start after 18th birthday); must be a British citizen (dual nationals considered); usually UK resident for seven of the last ten years; national security vetting.

As GCHQ publishes them; requirements differ between programmes, so check the advert before you apply.

Salary and benefits

Starting salary
Not published
Progression
Not published
Notes
Not published
Benefits
  • 25 days annual leave rising to 30 after 5 years, plus 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
  • Alpha (Civil Service) pension with employer contributions of at least 28.97%
  • Flexible working options subject to role and business need
  • Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

What stands out

Apprenticeships are one of several entry routes; GCHQ's early-careers marketing site (gchq-careers.co.uk) now redirects to gchq.gov.uk, and no apprenticeship intake details were published there.

Not published by GCHQ when we last checked: application stages, a typical timeline, locations or universities and cohort sizes or intake years. We leave gaps empty rather than guess.

Sources

Where every fact above comes from
  1. 1
    gchq-careers.co.uk/our-careers/early-careers.html

    Accessed

  2. 2
    gchq-careers.co.uk/audio/technology-and-engineering/software-engineering-apprentice-transcript.html

    Accessed · 6-month intensive training then weekly external provider support

  3. 3
    gchq.gov.uk/working-at-gchq

    Accessed · Apprenticeship as an entry route

  4. 4
    gchq.gov.uk/applying-to-gchq

    Accessed · Age, nationality and residency rules

  5. 5
    gchq.gov.uk/section/culture/benefits

    Accessed · Leave and pension benefits

  6. 6
    gchq.gov.uk

    Accessed · Tagline from header.

Apprentice Atlas is not affiliated with GCHQ. This information comes from GCHQ’s own pages and job feeds, linked under Sources. Report an error or ask for a takedown.