Cyber Security Apprentice (Quantock Education Trust)
THE HAYGROVE ACADEMY TRUST
Somerset (2 available locations)
Closes in 30 days (Sunday 15 November 2026)
Posted on 15 October 2026
Contents
Summary
We are looking for a motivated and ambitious Cyber Security Apprentice to join our IT team. This is an excellent opportunity to develop practical cyber security skills whilst working towards the nationally recognised Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist Apprenticeship.
- Wage
-
£15,392 a year
- Training course
- Cyber security technologist (2021) (level 4)
- Hours
-
Days and shifts to be confirmed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 4 January 2027
- 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
You will support the protection of all trust school systems, networks, data and people from cyber threats. while undertaking training to gain knowledge of security operations, risk management, governance and incident response. Working alongside the experienced IT Team, you will contribute to projects and play an important role in helping maintain all IT systems and ensuring a secure digital environment across the trust.
This apprenticeship will be based at Quantock Haygrove school, Bridgwater, TA6 7HW and Sexey's school Cole Road Bruton somerset BA10 0DF.
Driving Licence is required.
Key Responsibilities:
The apprentice will:
- Provide support and assist within the ICT department to deliver ICT support and maintenance activities, including, users, hardware / software and networks
- The role also provides support and supervision to students using a range of software and systems, under the direction of the Trust ICT Manager and IT / teaching staff
- Monitor trust wide IT systems, including firewalls and filtering, investigate security alerts and potential cyber security incidents, documenting investigations and resolutions
- Helping maintain and update incident response documentation and procedures
- Support vulnerability identification, assessment and remediation activities. Including updates and patching systems
- Assist with ICT audits, including compliance reviews and risk assessments
- Support the implementation of security controls, policies and procedures
- Help manage daily user access controls, permissions and privileged accounts
- Analyse system logs and security data to identify suspicious activity
- Assist in responding to ICT issues, supporting Staff and Students, using remote tools and onsite visits
- Contribute to business continuity and disaster recovery activities. Including testing
- Support phishing awareness campaigns and cyber security training initiatives for all users
- Help maintain all ICT documentation including cyber security documents, technical guides and systems information
- Assist with endpoint protection, network and cloud security monitoring
- Research emerging cyber threats, vulnerabilities and industry best practices
- Work with stakeholders across the trust to promote secure working practices
- Support security projects and continuous improvement initiatives using ICT
- Assist with preparing reports and presentations on security incidents and trends
- Staying up to date with emerging cyber threats and technologies
Where you'll work
You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship is available in these locations:
- Haygrove School, Durleigh Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7HW
- Sexey's School, Cole Road, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0DF
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
ESTIO 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
Firebrand’s sector leading Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist (L4CST) Apprenticeship Programme trains apprentices to implement a series of technical, procedural, and physical controls to monitor, detect and respond to a wide range of cyber security threats.
The apprentice is trained in cyber risk and mitigation, maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of digital data. They will use their skills to feed into policy decisions of a cyber security awareness culture within the business.
The CST standard has 3 distinct options:
- Cyber Security Engineer - designs, develops and implements security solutions across a network
- Cyber Risk Analyst - assesses, analyses, and mitigates cyber-related risk
- Cyber Defender & Responder - configures and monitors security systems and responds to incidents / security breaches
Firebrands course is delivered either Online (online live instructor led), or face to face in the classroom environment (your choice). Our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Learning Mentors (LMs) and world-leading trainers prepare apprentices to work across multiple sectors.
Completion of this apprenticeship will provide learners with the following world class vendor certifications in addition to the Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeship:
- CompTIA Network+
- CompTIA Security+
- EC Council Certified Network Defender
Key areas covered are:
- Networking & Cyber Security Fundamentals
- Network Security
- Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
- Operating System Security
- Cryptography
- Information Security & Management Frameworks
- Access Control Systems
- Security Policies
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Team working
- Willingness to travel
- Written communication skills
- Able to work independently
- Willingness to learn
- To develop technical skills
Other requirements
Essdential:
Driving Licence is required.
Desirable:
- Basic understanding of networking concepts.
- Familiarity with Windows, Microsoft 365 or cloud technologies
- Experience using IT systems in an educational or workplace setting
Desirable:
- Level 3 qualification in IT, Computing or Digital Technologies
About this employer
The Quantock Education Trust (QET) is a mixed MAT of eight unique schools in Somerset:
At QET we value and celebrate the diversity and distinctiveness of our schools, given the different age range from early years to sixth form; church and non-church status which also includes state boarding provision.
We are united by our joint vision and values which prioritise the life opportunities for all our children, their achievements, wellbeing and character. Close relationships, a focus on standards, and meaningful collaboration provide our member schools with a tangible sense of belonging, where mutual support and high expectations helps us to maintain a 'family' and 'one team' culture. We are proud of our children and staff, their achievements and commitment, which we seek to celebrate at every opportunity.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Potential for permanent full-time Cyber Security post subject to Trust growth, operational requirements and successful completion of Apprenticeship.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ESTIO TRAINING LIMITED
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000059460.
Apply now
Closes in 30 days (Sunday 15 November 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.