Level 7 apprenticeships allow you to study up to Masters level whilst working and your employer pays for your degree.
When you search the internet for level 7 apprenticeships you might find that you get a lot of results from universities or professional institutes, telling you what they are, or about the course, but no actual vacancies.
Why is this?
At the time of writing, there are not that many Level 7 apprenticeships available, but there have been 68 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery which are level 7 apprenticeships. This means the government has approved the framework of the apprenticeship, which outlines what will be learned on the programme and it is now ready to be delivered to students. Universities will be preparing or will already be ready to offer the programme to companies who wish to recruit apprentices for the Masters level programme. Once a company decides to recruit through this route, a job will be advertised and you can apply.
What level 7 apprenticeships are already available?
Accountancy Apprenticeships – the level 7 accountancy and taxation apprenticeship provides an opportunity to gain a CIMA or ACA Accountancy qualification, through this 4 year apprenticeship. Companies that have already recruited for this programme include Siemens and BDO. As with any apprenticeship, you need to keep your eye on the apprenticeship jobs board for vacancies as they arise, so you can apply.
Solicitor Apprenticeship – the level 7 solicitor apprenticeship allows you to take an apprenticeship all the way from leaving school up to becoming a fully qualified solicitor. With law training contracts becoming more and more competitive, this is a great way to secure your future as a lawyer without incurring any student debt. Companies already recruiting for this programme include Osborne Clarke, Charles Russell Speechlys and CMS, but keep your eye on degree apprenticeship vacancies to find opportunities as they come up.
Level 7 Apprenticeships approved for delivery
Here is a list of the other level 7 apprenticeships which have been approved for delivery, but there may not, as yet, be any companies offering them. These are generally quite specialist roles, which require postgraduate qualifications. Some of these you will be able to join from school and continue through to qualification, others you may require a degree before applying as they do not integrate an undergraduate degree.
- Academic professional
- Actuary
- Advanced clinical practitioner
- Advanced forensic practitioner (custody or sexual offence)
- Archaeological specialist
- Architect
- Arts therapist
- Bioinformatics scientist
- Chartered town planner
- Creative industries production manager
- Cultural heritage conservator
- Digital and technology solutions specialist
- District nurse
- Ecologist
- Electronic systems principal engineer
- Internal audit professional
- Marine technical superintendent
- Materials process engineer
- Outside broadcasting engineer
- Physician associate
- Post graduate engineer
- Power engineer
- Process automation engineer
- Rail & rail systems principal engineer
- Regulatory affairs specialist
- Research scientist
- Risk and safety management professional
- Senior investment / commercial banking professional
- Senior leader
- Senior professional economist
- Specialist community and public health nurse
- Systems engineer
- Through life engineering services specialist
To find out more about programmes that have been approved for delivery or are currently in development visit The Institute for Apprenticeships
Where can I find vacancies?
When a company decides to recruit for level 7 apprenticeships, they will advertise the vacancy as they would any other job. This means that you need to keep your eye out for degree apprenticeship vacancies as they arise.
You can certainly do plenty of research beforehand so that you are ready. When a company wants to recruit for a degree level apprenticeship, they usually partner with a university who is offering the training. If you are looking for a particular apprenticeship, it is worth Googling it and seeing which Universities are advertising the course. Even if they don’t yet have any employers running the programme, they will advertise it, in case a company wants to partner with them. If you find one that interests you, you could approach the university and ask them if there are any companies looking to start a programme soon.
