Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Software Engineering) Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship BSc (Hons)

This module will introduce you to programming languages which are relevant to software with industrial scale, reliability and performance characteristics. You'll cover topics such as basic program structure, standard elements of sequence, selection, iteration, functions and file handling, libraries, methodologies, maintainability and testability.

Delivery mode: In-person

Develop your academic and professional skills required for your degree and the behaviours required by apprenticeship standards. Over two terms you'll cover professional development skills such as career planning, time management, skills development, professional standards which will enhance your career progression.

Delivery mode: Online and in-person

Statistical concepts, such as exploratory data analysis, probability, statistical inference, and statistical modelling will be covered in this module. You'll be working with large volumes of data and focus on practical applications, and use modern statistical software to analyse data.

Delivery mode: In-person

You'll develop the knowledge and skills needed to build and connect a computer securely to a network. Through hands-on labs and simulation tools you'll gain an understanding of cybersecurity principles and the technologies and procedures used to defend networks against cybercrime including security breaches and the importance of protecting networks.

Delivery mode: In-person

Your professional skills will be in great shape by the end of this module. You'll cover everything from problem-solving and ethics to time management and safe use of social media. You will also create your own professional development portfolio which you can use throughout your career. This module runs in term three and continues through the summer.

Delivery mode: Online and in-person

Learn how to investigate and analyse a system using a recognised methodology, before designing and modelling a prototype software system. This module give you a real opportunity to experience key parts of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Security issues (threats, risks and mitigations) will also be considered within the context of program design.

Delivery mode: In-person

Understand the working practices and development technologies of a professional software engineer and get to understand the techniques and tools they use. You'll explore tools that automate the software development process, techniques for contributing maintainable code to a codebase and software development, both within a Linux operating system, and using the C++ programming language.

Delivery mode: In-person

You'll be introduced to project management techniques and tools, such as work breakdown structures, Gantt charts, and critical path analysis, to effectively plan, execute, and control projects. Learn to recognise and address the professional issues that arise during the planning, design, and management of projects, such as ethical considerations, legal compliance, and stakeholder management.

Delivery mode: In-person

Pulling together knowledge and skills from previous modules, you'll work on a project, over the summer, where you'll have to consider project management processes and risk assessment methods. This project will require the exploration of your capabilities as well as developing research skills needed for your final year and beyond.

Delivery mode: Online and in-person

Learn how to deliver business value and achieve goals while accounting for costs and risks. You'll look at key operational decisions such as improving services, optimising internal business operations, and introducing services based on insights. Building on previous modules you'll look at data visualisation and the importance of user experience when designing interfaces.

Delivery mode: In-person

Gain an understanding of sustainable and ethical computing practices, including the environmental impact of technology, social implications of computing, and responsible design and development of technology solutions. Over two terms, you'll look at the future of sustainable and ethical computing, emerging technologies, sustainability in the cloud, and green computing.

Delivery mode: In-person

During this module you'll be introduced the cloud computing paradigm as well as the concepts which it is based upon such as Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), peer-to-peer (P2P), distributed and grid computing. You'll develop an understanding of web development and testing, including client and server-side programming, security concerns, data access, and administration of cloud platforms.

Delivery mode: In-person

Focusing on how the latest mobile platform technology can be used by organisations, you'll develop an awareness of the requirements, capabilities and constraints of a variety of mobile computing technologies and the applications that they can build. You'll get experience of designing and developing your own mobile application.

Delivery mode: In-person

Develop the knowledge and skills to effectively lead teams and contribute to innovation and enhancement in your workplace. This module also promotes ongoing professional development and a commitment to ethical and responsible practices.

Delivery mode: Online and in-person

During this module you'll explore the latest software engineering tools and techniques while gaining experience and deeper understanding of the development process. Topics covered include; techniques and strategies to analyse, choose, propose, design and evaluate software elements; Analysing and predicting the computational cost of complex data structures and algorithms and developing code frameworks to confirm or refute those predictions.

Delivery mode: In-person

You'll identify a computer-based problem, investigating the requirements, analysing previous research before designing, developing and evaluating a solution. A reflection of the project will also be performed including an evaluation of the project's success, what you learnt as well as an appraisal of any professional issues related to the project.

Delivery mode: Online and in-person

Completing your Apprenticeship

To achieve the apprenticeship, all apprentices must complete an End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is an independent assessment that ascertains whether an apprentice is competent in their occupation.

Gateway

Gateway is the period of time between the end of the off-the-job training (practical period) and the beginning of the assessment period when EPA will take place.

At Gateway, the apprentice, employer and training provider will review the apprentice's knowledge, skills and behaviours to determine whether they are ready to take their EPA. This is normally done at a Gateway review meeting which takes place near the end of the apprenticeship. At this meeting, all three parties will check that the mandatory aspects of the apprenticeship have been completed and that the apprentice is ready to take their final assessment(s).

Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.

End-Point Assessment

This apprenticeship is integrated. This means that the end-point assessment is administered by Nottingham Trent University and is usually linked to the academic award that apprentices study whilst in their off-the-job training period. The assessments are conducted by Independent End-Point Assessors who have been selected to assess apprentices against industry-specific competences. Details of the assessment elements can be found in the EPA plan.

There are two elements to this end-point assessment:

1. Project report with presentation, questions and answers
2. Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio