Digital, data and AI
Every employer on the site needs these, whatever they make.
Around 24,000 to 60,000 a year depending on the role and your experience.
The route
How people get in and grow
Digital roles are the ones that turn up in every single business on a site like this, from the labs to the hotel to the council team. That makes them the most portable jobs on offer.
- 1
Get in
IT Support Technician. You are the person who gets people working again: accounts, laptops, networks, the meeting room that will not connect. The most common way into tech.
Unlocks: Level 3 Information Communications Technician apprenticeship, CompTIA A+
- 2
Get qualified
Data Analyst. You take the numbers a business already has and turn them into an answer someone can act on, usually with SQL, spreadsheets and a dashboard tool. Also here: Digital Content and Communications Officer.
Unlocks: Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship, or a data skills bootcamp
- 3
Go deeper
Software Developer. You build and maintain the software a business runs on, working in a team with testers, designers and the people who will use it. Also here: Data Engineer, Cyber Security Analyst, Network Engineer.
Unlocks: Level 4 or Level 6 Software Developer apprenticeship, or a coding bootcamp plus portfolio
- 4
Lead
AI / Machine Learning Engineer. You build and run the models that make predictions or automate a decision, and you are accountable for whether they are right and fair.
Unlocks: Degree or Level 7 apprenticeship in AI, data science or computer science
The jobs
8 jobs in this family
IT Support Technician
Way inAround 24,000 to 30,000You are the person who gets people working again: accounts, laptops, networks, the meeting room that will not connect. The most common way into tech.
How you get in: A Level 3 IT apprenticeship, a short course, or self-taught plus a certification. Employers hire on attitude and troubleshooting.
Unlocks: Level 3 Information Communications Technician apprenticeship, CompTIA A+
Data Analyst
TechnicianAround 28,000 to 42,000You take the numbers a business already has and turn them into an answer someone can act on, usually with SQL, spreadsheets and a dashboard tool.
How you get in: A Level 4 data analyst apprenticeship or a skills bootcamp. One of the strongest routes for a career changer.
Unlocks: Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship, or a data skills bootcamp
Software Developer
QualifiedAround 32,000 to 60,000You build and maintain the software a business runs on, working in a team with testers, designers and the people who will use it.
How you get in: Degree apprenticeship, bootcamp or self-taught with a portfolio. Employers care what you can build more than where you studied.
Unlocks: Level 4 or Level 6 Software Developer apprenticeship, or a coding bootcamp plus portfolio
Data Engineer
QualifiedAround 38,000 to 60,000You build the pipes that move data from where it is created to where it gets used, and keep them reliable.
How you get in: Usually from data analysis or development. Strong demand from research and life sciences employers in particular.
Unlocks: Level 6 Digital and Technology Solutions apprenticeship, or a degree plus cloud certification
Cyber Security Analyst
QualifiedAround 32,000 to 55,000You watch for attacks, close the gaps and respond when something gets through. Research organisations hold valuable data, so they hire for this.
How you get in: Level 4 cyber apprenticeship or a move from IT support plus certifications. A genuinely accessible route from a helpdesk job.
Unlocks: Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeship, CompTIA Security+
AI / Machine Learning Engineer
LeadingAround 45,000 and upYou build and run the models that make predictions or automate a decision, and you are accountable for whether they are right and fair.
How you get in: Usually from software or data engineering plus specialist study. A stretch goal to aim at rather than a first job.
Unlocks: Degree or Level 7 apprenticeship in AI, data science or computer science
Digital Content and Communications Officer
TechnicianAround 25,000 to 36,000You run the website, the social channels and the campaigns that get a business or a public service in front of the right people.
How you get in: Level 3 multi-channel marketer apprenticeship, or a portfolio of work you have already done.
Unlocks: Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketer apprenticeship
Network Engineer
QualifiedAround 32,000 to 48,000You design and keep alive the networks a building full of researchers and businesses depends on, including the wifi everyone complains about.
How you get in: From IT support plus vendor certifications, or through a Level 4 network engineer apprenticeship.
Unlocks: Level 4 Network Engineer apprenticeship, Cisco CCNA
Source: Oxfordshire Local Skills Improvement Plan, Annex A: Occupational Demand by Sector, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, March 2026. Pay ranges are indicative for Oxfordshire and are there to help you compare roles, not a promise about any one vacancy.
Where this goes
Digital and technology in Oxford runs from Level 3 (about A levels) up to Level 4 (about an HNC). These are the levels people move through, and what is open right now at each one.
Level 3about the same as A levels
5 openings in Oxford2 different apprenticeshipstypically £15,600 a year(middle of 5 advertised)- Information communications technician (level 3)
- Software development technician (level 3)
Level 4about the same as an HNC
4 openings in Oxford4 different apprenticeshipstypically £12,480 a year(middle of 4 advertised)- Software tester (level 4)
- Digital community manager (level 4)
- Applications support lead (level 4)
- Digital product manager (level 4)
Level 6 exist in this work elsewhere in the country but nothing is open in Oxford today. Worth widening your search, or asking a local college what they run.
Levels and apprenticeship standards from the Department for Education Find an apprenticeship service, counted from vacancies open today. Wages are the middle of what employers actually advertised, not a promise about any one job, and they do not always rise with the level: pay depends on the employer and the year as much as the qualification. These are the levels within this line of work, not a guarantee that one apprenticeship leads to the next.
Start here
Routes near you
IT Support Apprentice
ABINGDON AND WITNEY COLLEGE · oxford
Apprentice Software Developer
KEIBRA LTD · oxford
Also open in this area of work
These are nearby and related. We have not matched them to this exact trade, so check the advert before you apply.
Take the first step
Register and we will match you to local routes into digital, data and ai and tell you exactly which step you are ready for. Want to think it through first? Ask RORI in the chat at the bottom-right.