Leeds City Council – Cyber Security Apprentice (Level 4)
Leeds City Council
Leeds (LS2 8BB)
Closes in 16 days (Sunday 31 August 2025)
Posted on 15 August 2025
Contents
Summary
We are seeking a dynamic, innovative, and highly motivated candidate to join our Level 4 Digital Apprenticeship Programme at Leeds City Council. This role will assist with the implementation, maintenance, and improvement of digital systems and services. You will gain practical experience and training in various aspects of IT support and development.
- Wage
-
£24,796 a year
- Training course
- Cyber security technologist (2021) (level 4)
- Hours
-
37 hours per week. Days and times to be confirmed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 3 November 2025
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
The programme is designed to provide comprehensive training and practical experience over the duration of the apprenticeship.
Candidates will work with specific teams and projects, gaining exposure to different aspects of digital transformation within their chosen area.
Responsibilities:
- Assist in the development and maintenance of digital platforms and systems.
- Provide technical support to colleagues and users of digital services.
- Help maintain network security, ensuring data protection and compliance with LCC policies.
- Participate in digital projects, contributing to planning, testing, and implementation phases.
- Maintain accurate records of IT assets, user requests, and incidents.
- Compliance with data protection and privacy regulations.
- Collaborate with other teams and services to support digital initiatives.
- Support the development and delivery of reporting dashboards for LCC service areas and staff.
- Keep up to date with the latest digital trends and technologies to improve digital services.
- Develop the knowledge required to effectively meet set targets and objectives.
Where you'll work
Merrion House
110 Merrion Centre
Leeds
LS2 8BB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
FIREBRAND TRAINING LIMITED
Training course
Cyber security technologist (2021) (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Discover vulnerabilities in a system by using a mix of research and practical exploration
- Analyse and evaluate security threats and hazards to a system or service or processes. Use relevant external source of threat intelligence or advice (e.g. National Cyber Security Centre) Combine different sources to create an enriched view of cyber threats and hazards
- Research and investigate common attack techniques and relate these to normal and observed digital system behaviour and recommend how to defend against them. Interpret and demonstrate use of external source of vulnerabilities (e.g. OWASP, intelligence sharing initiatives, open source)
- Undertake security risk assessments for simple systems without direct supervision and propose basic remediation advice in the context of the employer.
- Source and analyse security cases and describe what threats, vulnerability or risks are mitigated and identify any residual areas of concern.
- Analyse employer or customer requirements to derive security objectives and taking account of the threats and overall context develop a security case which sets out the proposed security measures in the context with reasoned justification
- Identify and follow organisational policies and standards for information and cyber security and operate according to service level agreements or other defined performance targets.
- Configure, deploy and use computer, digital network and cyber security technology.
- Recommend improvements to the cyber security posture of an employer or customer based on research into future potential cyber threats and considering threat trends.
- Write program code or scripts to meet a given design requirement in accordance with employers' coding standards
- Identify cyber security threats relevant to a defined context
- Accurately, objectively and concisely record and report the appropriate cyber security information, including in written reports within a structure or template provided.
- Design, build, test and troubleshoot a network incorporating more than one subnet with static and dynamic routes, to a given design requirement without supervision. Provide evidence that the system meets the design requirement.
- Analyse security requirements given (functional and non-functional security requirements that may be presented in a security case) against other design requirements (e.g. usability, cost, size, weight, power, heat, supportability etc.) for a given system or product. Identify conflicting requirements and propose, with reasoning, resolution through appropriate trade-offs.
- Design and build, systems in accordance with a security case within broad but generally well-defined parameters. This should include selection and configuration of typical security hardware and software components. Provide evidence that the system has properly implemented the security controls required by the security case
- Design systems employing encryption to meet defined security objectives. Develop and implement a plan for managing the associated encryption keys for the given scenario or system.
- Use tools, techniques and processes to actively prevent breaches to digital system security.
- Configure digital system monitoring and analysis tools (e.g. SIEM tools), taking account of threat & vulnerability intelligence, indicators of compromise.
- Conduct cyber-risk assessments against an externally (market) recognised cyber security standard using a recognised risk assessment methodology.
- Develop information security policies or processes to address a set of identified risks, for example from security audit recommendations.
- Develop information security policies within a defined scope to take account of legislation and regulation relevant to cyber security.
- Take an active part in a security audits against recognised cyber security standards, undertake gap analysis and make recommendations for remediation..
- Develop plans for local business continuity for approval within defined governance arrangements for business continuity.
- Assess security culture using a recognised approach.
- Design and implement a simple ‘security awareness’ campaign to address a specific aspect of a security culture.
- Develop plans for incident response for approval within defined governance arrangements for incident response.
- Integrate and correlate information from various sources (including log files from different sources, digital system monitoring tools, Secure Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools, access control systems, physical security systems) and compare to known threat and vulnerability data to form a judgement based on evidence with reasoning that the anomaly represents a digital system security breach
- Recognise anomalies in observed digital system data structures (including by inspection of network packet data structures) and digital system behaviours (including by inspection of protocol behaviours) and by inspection of log files and by investigation of alerts raised by automated tools including SIEM tools.
- Undertake root cause analysis of events and make recommendations to reduce false positives and false negatives.
- Manage local response to non-major incidents in accordance with a defined procedure.
- Discover vulnerabilities in a system by using a mix of research and practical exploration
- Analyse and evaluate security threats and hazards to a system or service or processes. Use relevant external source of threat intelligence or advice (e.g. National Cyber Security Centre) Combine different sources to create an enriched view of cyber threats and hazards
- Research and investigate common attack techniques and relate these to normal and observed digital system behaviour and recommend how to defend against them. Interpret and demonstrate use of external source of vulnerabilities (e.g. OWASP, intelligence sharing initiatives, open source)
- Undertake security risk assessments for simple systems without direct supervision and propose basic remediation advice in the context of the employer.
- Source and analyse security cases and describe what threats, vulnerability or risks are mitigated and identify any residual areas of concern.
- Analyse employer or customer requirements to derive security objectives and taking account of the threats and overall context develop a security case which sets out the proposed security measures in the context with reasoned justification
- Identify and follow organisational policies and standards for information and cyber security and operate according to service level agreements or other defined performance targets.
- Configure, deploy and use computer, digital network and cyber security technology.
- Recommend improvements to the cyber security posture of an employer or customer based on research into future potential cyber threats and considering threat trends.
- Write program code or scripts to meet a given design requirement in accordance with employers' coding standards
- Identify cyber security threats relevant to a defined context
- Accurately, objectively and concisely record and report the appropriate cyber security information, including in written reports within a structure or template provided.
Training schedule
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 9-4)
- Maths (grade 9-4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
This opportunity is part of our IT Talent Management Programme offering new routes into digital careers at Leeds City council. This post is subject to a higher-level check with the Disclosure & Barring Service. Please note that a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining employment; this will depend on the circumstances and background to any offence.
About this employer
Leeds City Council is responsible for providing a wide range of public services to residents and businesses in the Leeds area. These services include education, housing, social care, waste management, transport, and environmental health. The council works to improve the quality of life for all members of the community by ensuring that essential services are accessible and effective. Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.
https://www.leeds.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
The role offers the potential opportunity to progress into a permanent position.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
FIREBRAND TRAINING LIMITED
IDSTMP@leeds.gov.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000337370.
Apply now
Closes in 16 days (Sunday 31 August 2025)
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