Occupational Profile
The broad purpose of the ICT occupation is to deliver efficient operation and control of the IT and/or Telecommunications infrastructure (comprising physical or virtual hardware, software, network services and data storage) either on-premises or to end-users provisioned as cloud services that is required to deliver and support the information systems needs of an organisation.
The occupation includes contributing to the preparation for new or changed services, operation of the change process, the maintenance of regulatory, legal and professional standards, the building and management of systems and components in virtualised and cloud computing environments and the monitoring of performance of systems and services in relation to their contribution to business performance, their security and their sustainability.
The Information Communications Technician makes their contribution through the application of infrastructure management tools to automate the provisioning, testing, deployment and monitoring of infrastructure components.
The Sector Skills Council for Information Technology is https://www.thetechpartnership.com
This apprenticeship is recognised for entry onto the register of IT technicians, confirming SFIA (the Skills Framework for the Information Age) level 3 professional competence. Version 6 of SFIA, has been launched today at the Developing Digital Talent conference 2015 jointly hosted by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, the Tech Partnership and the SFIA Foundation. The globally relevant framework of IT skills provides employers and practitioners with support to help them fulfil their potential and gain competitive advantage. The updated version includes seven new skills including digital forensics, IT strategy and planning, penetration testing and product management, all reflecting the changing nature of the profession.
Duration
18 months (this does not include EPA period)
Options
1st & 2nd line support telecoms technician Cloud technician Communications technician Cyber/security support Data centre support technician First-line support Help desk support It field technician It support analyst It support officer Maintenance support technician Network field operative. Network support Office it technician Telecommunications technician
Delivery
The delivery will be done mainly at the workplace, with the off-the-job training accounting for at least 6 hours a week. The assessor will regularly visit you at work to observe you performing relevant tasks and to carry out professional discussions. You will receive a login to an online portfolio.
You will complete Level 3 Information Communications Technician prior to taking the end-point assessment.
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment.
Upon completion you can progress onto an advanced or higher apprenticeship at level 3, 4 or 5.
End Point Assessment
The end-point assessment (EPA) for Information Communication Technician contains 2 methods of assessment which will be graded as Fail, Pass or Distinction:
- Project Report with Questioning
- Professional Discussion Underpinned by Portfolio
Candidates for this course should be working in a related sector.
All applications will be reviewed on an individual basis. If you have experience or previous knowledge that will support your application please remember to include it. Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment.
As an employer that doesn’t pay the apprenticeship levy, you pay just 5% towards the cost of training and assessing an apprentice.
The government will pay the rest up to the funding band maximum.
You’ll pay the training provider directly and agree on a payment schedule.
If you employ fewer than 50 employees, the government will pay 100% of the apprenticeship training costs up to the funding band maximum for apprentices aged:
- 16 to 21
- 19 to 24 with an education, health and care plan provided by their local authority or has been in the care of their local authority
Paying employer National Insurance contributions
Employers may not need to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions for an apprentice, if the apprentice is:
- under 25 years old
- on an approved UK government apprenticeship standard or framework (these can differ depending on country)
- earns less than £967 a week (£50,270 a year)
The apprentice, as an employee, will continue to pay Class 1 insurance contributions through their salary, this will only benefit the employer.
Read HMRC’s guidance on paying National Insurance contributions.