Apprentice Software Developer

Job summary

Are you looking for your first step into a career in software engineering?

Our Software Development Apprenticeship is a three‑year, Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship that leads to a BSc in Applied Software Engineering. You’ll gain hands‑on experience, build real‑world skills, and play a part in the digital transformation happening here at Companies House.

You’ll graduate with a recognised degree and a highly sought‑after skillset that’s valued across the tech industry, opening doors both within Companies House and beyond.

Watch this video to find out more about working in Digital at Companies House

Companies House offers a flexible and welcoming culture that promotes a healthy work life balance as well as a proactive approach to wellbeing that allows us to be our best at work. We recognise that people are the key to our success so offer a fantastic benefits package including flexible working with no core hours, 30 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 1 privilege day as well as enrolment into the Civil Service Pension scheme with a contribution rate averaging 28%.

Find out more about what a great place Companies House is to work

Give yourself the best opportunity to apply!

Join our Outreach team for an informal, drop-in “find out more” session on

Monday 30th March 2026 between 12.00 - 13.00

No need to register: just click on the link above to join, listen, and gain tips to help you apply. Cameras and microphones will be switched off.

The webinar will be recorded in case you’d like to watch it again. By joining, you’re consenting to the recording - we’ll explain how this works at the start of the session.

Please note:

• This is a hybrid role based in Cardiff. You’ll be expected to spend regular time in the office. You'll also be required to attend in‑person classes at Cardiff Metropolitan University as part of the apprenticeship.
• Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
• Security Clearance is an essential requirement for this campaign. You'll need to have been in the UK for at least 3 out of the last 5 years to be eligible to apply for SC.
• Please review the eligibility criteria for the academic course detailed under the Person Specification section further down in the advert before applying.

Job description

What you’ll do as a Software Development apprentice

You’ll work alongside IT professionals within one of our multidisciplinary software development teams. All our software development teams across Companies House work together to make our services better.

You’ll also develop skills and knowledge in software development, programming, testing, website development, cyber security, communication and organisational skills.

You’ll learn how to develop software using highly sought after technologies including AWS, Typescript, Java, and Spring Boot.

We encourage our software developers to be active members of our developer community. You will benefit from being able to learn from highly experienced engineers and be able to gain industry experience whilst studying.

We also offer funding and support for further learning and conference attendance, for those who wish to take up the opportunity.

Your training and qualification

You’ll receive a fully funded place on the BSc Applied Software Engineering degree course at Cardiff Metropolitan University. More information on the university can be found on the Cardiff Metropolitan University website and a video with the Programme Director. For more information on the course please visit: BSc Applied Software Engineering (Degree Apprenticeship) , Cardiff Metropolitan University

To gain the Level 6 apprenticeship, you’ll need to successfully complete all required elements of the degree programme.

You’ll also receive on the job training and support from the Software Engineering profession within Companies House.

Person specification

We're looking for someone who is:

• Inquisitive with a passion for technology
• Able to problem solve
• Keen to learn and develop new skills
• Able to use modern IT Software, such as Excel and Word
• Able to keep up with the demands of Degree and Work
• Interested in learning modern programming languages such as Java, JavaScript or TypeScript (any existing knowledge is a plus but not required as this will be covered as part of studies)
• Able to work within a team

Eligibility Criteria

There are some important things to be aware of when applying for this apprenticeship:

• There are no age restrictions for this apprenticeship – we welcome all applications.
• If you are shortlisted for interview, we will ask you to confirm your name and qualifications with us, so that we can share them with our apprenticeship provider - this is simply so that they can check your eligibility for apprenticeship funding.
• You must not already have a qualification at Level 6 or higher in the same or a similar subject to this apprenticeship. For more information on qualification levels, please visit: What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK

To be eligible for this apprenticeship, you need to:

• Have the essential qualifications listed below.
• Not be in full-time education when you start the role.
• Be a current resident in Wales and have been for a minimum of 2 years to qualify for the Welsh Apprenticeship funding. More information is available on Careers Wales Website.
• Hold a British Passport or indefinite leave to remain status in the UK.

Essential Qualifications

You’ll need:

• GCSE: Five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.

AND 104-112 UCAS points, coming from any of the following:

• A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include Grades CCC or above. No specific subjects are required. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate will be considered as a third subject.
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: DMM
• T Level: Merit. No specific subjects are required.
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects are required.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 2 x H5. No specific subjects are required.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2 grades. No specific subjects are required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Grades DD. No specific subjects are required.

For more details about entry requirements, including contextual offers please see: BSc Applied Software Engineering (Degree Apprenticeship) , Cardiff Metropolitan University

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Developing Self and Others
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Problem Solving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,452, Companies House contributes £7,663 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we’re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.

Head to Our benefits - Working for us - Recruitment (companieshouse.gov.uk) to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.

We celebrate diversity...

As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, being committed to ensuring we’re representative of the citizens we serve and creating an inclusive environment. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and attracting diverse talent we welcome applications from underrepresented groups. We also welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader. Our recruitment process is fully inclusive and we can make adjustments as needed through our process. These could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments and receiving interview questions in advance, to name a few.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at application stage, or if you'd like to discuss any person-centred adjustments, please contact us by emailing recruitmentCH@companieshouse.gov.uk.

Read our 'Applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)' guide to find out how to successfully complete an application under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS).

Where will you be working?

• You will be aligned to our Cardiff Office, where we are currently using a hybrid approach to the way we work. Our approach to hybrid working provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life.
• The degree of choice you have will depend on business need, your role and your day-to-day work activities and will be discussed at offer stage.
• Classes will be held on-site at Cardiff Metropolitan University. You will spend 4 days a week working at Companies House, in a hybrid way, and 1 day working on your university work.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

What will the process look like?

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:Experience.

Please note: this means evidence of the things we've listed below, which can come from any setting, such as education, volunteering, personal projects, part‑time work or life experience. You do not need formal work experience to apply.

In your application form we’d like you to:

Write a Personal Statement of 750 words: tell us, using examples, how you meet the following criteria:

• Able to problem solve: Please describe a specific example of a problem you faced, how you approached solving it, and how that experience will help you succeed in this role?
• Inquisitive with a passion for technology: Using a specific example, what interest you in the field of software engineering, and why does this motivate you to pursue a career in this field?
• Keen to learn and develop new skills:
  Please give a specific example that shows your commitment to learning and personal development (such as a course, project, or independent research).

We'd encourage you to use the full word count, and to give us clear examples and evidence of the different elements of the essential minimum criteria.

We’re committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as your name and age) from your personal statement.

Please note: In the case of a large number of applications, before conducting a full sift as described above, the panel may conduct a pre-sift assessing all applications against the following Experience: Able to problem solve.

Once the advert has closed, we will sift applications - this involves reading through them all, please bear with us as this can take some time.

We may raise the score required if we receive a high number of applications.

At sift we may choose to take through the highest performing candidates to the next stage. If, after the final stage is completed and roles are unfilled, we will proceed to invite lower scoring candidates to interview.

Stage 2 - Presentation

• Successful candidates from the sift stage will be invited to deliver a 10-minute presentation (with 5-minute follow-up discussion), which will conducted using Microsoft Teams.
  
• The presentation topic will be released in the confirmation email once you have booked a presentation timeslot.
• The presentation stage will be assessing the Technical skill: Problem solving. We're keen to see you can research something relatively unfamiliar and present it in a short presentation.

Stage 3 - Interview

Companies House uses a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you.

We use the Success Profile framework and at interview we will use Success Profiles assessing the Behaviours listed in the advert, and Strengths.

• Successful candidates from the presentation stage will be invited to a virtual interview, which will be conducted using Microsoft Teams.
• The lead criteria to distinguish between tied candidates will be: Developing Self and Others.
• A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
• All offers will be made in merit order.

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of recruitment based on fair and open competition with decisions made on the basis of merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

Key dates (dates are indicative only and could be subject to change)

Webinar: 30th March 2026
Close: 13/04/2026
Sift: from 14/04/2026
Presentation: w/c 27/4/2026
Interview: w/c 5/5/2026

Sponsorship

Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. Companies House holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship, your application may be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment withdrawn.

Security Clearance

Successful candidates must pass a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check before they can be appointed.

BPSS is an entry level security check. It uses the Police National Computer (PNC) to make sure a candidate has no convictions. The check returns evidence of any current criminal record and un-spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements for Security Check (SC) before they can be appointed.

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

Further information on National Security Vetting

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Teodora Arnold
• Email : tarnold@companieshouse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentch@companieshouse.gov.uk

Further information

We welcome applications in Welsh / Rydym yn croesawi ceisiadau yn y Gymraeg. Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact infopoint@companieshouse.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission .

info@csc.gov.uk

Civil Service Commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road SW1A 2HQ